A woman has described the moment she came home after organising her grandfather’s funeral to find her house had been ransacked by thieves.

The Comet: This Rolex watch was stolen from a property in Letchworth.This Rolex watch was stolen from a property in Letchworth. (Image: Archant)

The 34-year-old woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, had arrived at her house in Blackmore, Letchworth, with her nine-week-old daughter and three-year-old son when she noticed her front door was open.

“As I walked up the driveway I saw a figure in my bedroom window so I locked the car and immediately called the police,” she said.

“My initial reaction was to go inside but I had my two children in the car and thought better of it.

“If something had happened to me they would have been there for hours and no one would have known because my parents wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong and my husband was away for a couple of days.”

Her husband’s collection of watches – including a Rolex that was given to him by his late grandfather - was stolen in the burglary.

In all, items totalling £20,000 were taken, including luxury Breitling, Bulgar and Rolex watches and a Victorian coin collection.

She said: “We went inside to find out the house ransacked. They’d completely trashed the place. At first I felt so angry that someone could do something like this. My husband collects watches and has lots of them on display in his office.

“They’d taken everything including a Rolex that his late grandfather, who died six years ago, gave to him. The whole thing was really scary and we’re planning on moving now because I just don’t feel safe here anymore.”

Herts police released images of two of the stolen watches last week and are now appealing for witnesses to the burglary, which took place at some point between 4.30pm and 9pm on July 25.

Anyone with information can call police on non-emergency number 101.