A DOG walker saw off would-be thieves who were trying to get into her van in an early morning spree of attempted break-ins.

Laura Dixon, from Westcliff, caught crooks in the act as they tried to break into her van in the early hours of the morning in Chelmsford Avenue, Westcliff.

She says she has now been left “absolutely terrified” to sleep after her van was broken into for a third time.

Laura, who relies on the van for work as a dog walker, said it was the third time her vehicle had been targeted. In past incidents, Laura’s van has been raided for anything seemingly valuable – such as work clothes, suits, and designer glasses.

Laura said: “I woke up to the sound of my van’s side doors opening, I got dressed and got the dog and a pair of men ran away from it.

“I believe I saw them later, moving down Chelmsford Avenue and Baxter Avenue, opening car doors and trying locks.

“I don’t trust anyone any more and I am terrified to sleep at night because I think thieves will come back and I will find my van missing, with nothing that can be done to stop it.

“Every morning, I wake up and thank god that my van is actually still there, if I go away for work, I am scared to leave my flat as I fear this will escalate to attempts on my home.

“The thieves on Saturday were so open and so blatant that if I did confront them, I think they wouldn’t care, I imagine they have done this so much.”

The Saturday break-in saw nothing taken but has left Laura scared as to how her vehicle was accessed again – given measures she has taken to protect it.

She said: “I have a steering lock, no tools in the van and my keys are kept in a signal blocking box.

“I don’t know how on earth they could have accessed my van, it is so petty and so many people on this street have had similar incidents.”

Police say they are investigating reports of people attempting to break into vehicles in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Am Essex Police spokesman said: "A member of the public reported that at around 3am a vehicle had been broken into and they believed there had been attempts on other vehicles in Baxter Avenue. Our enquiries continue.

“We would ask anyone with information to contact us on 101 and quote incident 0160 of March 30.”

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