A 22-year-old Braintree student mum is too frightened to go home after returning from university to find a teenage boy and girl in her house.

The second break-in in three weeks at the two-bedroom council house in Braintree was the last straw for Danni Gill, who is deaf.

She said: "I don't want to go back at the moment because I don't know who has been in there. I have never felt safe because of an insecure front door."

She is now considering what to do about the Braintree District Council house and will probably put belongings in store.

Meanwhile, she will stay with family when she is home from university.

Problems started three weeks ago when Danni returned from Reading University where she is taking theatre art, education and deaf studies, to find her home had been burgled.

New carpets were burned and graffiti scrawled on the walls. DVDs were missing and toiletries stolen. The burglars had, apparently, carried off the haul in the washing basket.

Only weeks before she had written to the council because of concerns about the insecure front door.

With the help of police they had new locks fitted after the break-in and were assured it would be safe

But last weekend police were alerted by a neighbour that people were in the house. Officers turned up two hours later but found nothing suspicious.

Her mother Mrs Sally Gill, a tutor, went to investigate and found signs of someone in the house.

"It took a long time for me to find someone at the police station to listen and we finally met a CID officer there. The front door was locked from the inside when we returned so I had to break in.

They found the house in mess and two teenagers aged about 19 in the bedroom.

A spokeswoman for Braintree Council said: "We have replaced the locks and put in replacement windows that are much more secure. There are no major security problems in the area."

A police spokesman said: "Two people were arrested and bailed while further inquiries are made."

Published Thursday November 20, 2003

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