A SINGLE mum is warning householders in and around Colchester to lock up their sheds, after burglars stole her lawnmower.

Julie O’Keigh, of Trafalgar Road, Lexden, says someone broke into her shed some time over the past couple of weeks.

She said: “I went into the shed and there was a massive great empty hole where my lawnmower and grass box should have been.

“Ironically, I‘ve only just spent £500 to put up a six-foot fence and gate, because my son is autistic and ran out into the road.

“I’ve lived here nearly two years and anyone could have walked round the side of my house. Now I’ve got the fence, they break in.”

Ms O’Keigh, who also has a young baby, is on benefits because she needs to care for her disabled son. She said the mower had been bought second-hand on Ebay because it was all she could afford. She added: “I don’t know if my insurance will pay or not.

“Otherwise I have to save up to get another one, because it is in my tenancy agreement that I have to keep the grass tidy.

“I just want to warn other people there are burglars out there breaking into people’s sheds and things.”

The burglary has been reported to police.