A DEVASTATED homeowner says she does not feel safe in her new house after burglars stole £30,000 worth of items after getting in through a garage door.

Natasha Beech, 25, had only had the keys for the four-bed detached house in Stanway for a week before the raiders struck.

They ransacked the home and took designer shoes and handbags, as well as irreplaceable family jewellery.

They even took a box of items which hadn’t been unpacked.

Miss Beech, who bought the house from Cala Homes with her partner, said she and neighbours had noticed the garage lock on their homes did not work.

She said: “I don’t sleep in the house on my own.

“If the situation ever comes up I got to a friend’s house or sleep at my parents – it is that bad.

“I do not feel safe there on my own.

“Everybody has all sorts of security issues.

“A couple of weeks after we were burgled the police told me there had been other incidents in the area and another near miss.

“I called the police and they are investigating whether Cala Homes are liable for the damage.

“It has taken me seven or eight calls to Cala and they have now passed it on to their managing director.

“But they have said they are not doing anything about it.

“My point is if they did a bad plumbing job and the house was flooded they would have to come in and fix it.

“How is this any different?”

Miss Beech, who works as a human resources analyst, said the housing developer has also failed to sort out an extensive snagging list, and took three months to ensure the homes could be connected to the internet. However, a spokesman for the developer denied the garage door lock was faulty.

He said: “We were first contacted by Ms Beech following the incident at her home in July.

“An engineer from the manufacturer was sent to fully inspect the garage door who advised that the locking mechanism was in full working order and was not faulty.”

Police have confirmed they are investigating the burglary which happened in the early hours of July 9.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det Con Mike Heslegrave at Colchester CID on 101 or alternatively Crimestoppers anonymously on 08000 555111 or via the website crimestoppers-uk.org.