A DISTRAUGHT Exmouth woman plans on having CCTV installed both inside and outside her home after cruel thieves stole around �10,000-worth of belongings from the property. Debbie Rowsell, of Green Close, wants to fit a surveillance system after valuable it

A DISTRAUGHT Exmouth woman plans on having CCTV installed both inside and outside her home after cruel thieves stole around �10,000-worth of belongings from the property.

Debbie Rowsell, of Green Close, wants to fit a surveillance system after valuable items, which included jewellery, an ipod and laptop, were stolen earlier this month.

The 44-year-old and her family - husband, Kevin, and two children - were all out when their home was targeted.

Mrs Rowsell said: "We live under lock and key now. Every door is locked. It has made us a lot more security conscious.

"It's not so much because of the stuff they've taken; it's one, not knowing who it is and two, that somebody has been inside your property while I'm not here."

Mrs Rowsell said the thieves committed the crime in an inconspicuous way because there was no noticeable damage or mess left over once she and her family got home.

She said her attention was first drawn to the burglary when she noticed her laptop, which she wanted to use, had gone missing.

Mrs Rowsell then realised there were problems with her front door, which she said was hardly ever used, that the thieves used to gain entry. She was told by a friend, the door locks were all bent.

"My daughter was passing out (of the army) last Friday," she added.

"I've got a gold, solitaire diamond ring that I only ever wear on special occasions. I wanted to wear it and noticed that was missing."

Mrs Rowsell believed whoever stole the belongings was somebody she knows because of the way entry was gained into her house.

She said: "It is quite unearthing to think somebody we know has been in our property.

"You work really hard to get all these nice things and then in one instant they are taken away. It's devastating in the sense that the honest path is the hardest to walk."

She said the burglary was a sad indictment of Exmouth life and something that was becoming common in the area.

"The town is on a downhill spiral - completely," she said.

Exmouth CID are investigating the incident. Anyone with information should call Devon and Cornwall police on 08452 777444, quoting crime reference number KE/10/1064.