POLICE are hunting a man who stole from two houses and damaged another property within the same area of Harwich on Boxing Day.Officers are investigating a burglary and a theft from two properties on Birch Avenue, Harwich, and a case of criminal damage at a third home on the adjoining Main Road.

POLICE are hunting a man who stole from two houses and damaged another property within the same area of Harwich on Boxing Day.

Officers are investigating a burglary and a theft from two properties on Birch Avenue, Harwich, and a case of criminal damage at a third home on the adjoining Main Road.

They believe the man acted alone in committing the crimes - which one of his victims branded “disgusting” - in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Rod White, 39, said his partner's home in Birch Avenue was broken into while they, her two children, and Mr White's brother, Tony, were asleep in the house.

He said: “It has absolutely ruined our Christmas - it's a disgusting act, that someone can do it at this time of year.”

He said the thief took a purse, a laptop computer and a mobile phone, all belonging to his partner, Elizabeth, 41.

The police recovered the laptop from a neighbouring garden, but have not yet found the purse or phone.

Mr White added: “He must have just grabbed what he could and walked back out the door again. “Everybody's very upset. The backs of the houses all back onto each other along the street, but it is normally quite quiet.”

He praised the response of the police, and said that Detective Constable Fred Crawley had been “absolutely fantastic”.

“The way we were treated was really, really good - they were prompt, polite and sympathetic,” he added.

Det Con Crawley has appealed for anyone who saw someone loitering around the area at about 6.30am to contact him.

Officers are believed to be studying CCTV from a nearby garage to establish the identity of the offender, who went on to use a stolen cash card to withdraw a large amount of money at 7.10am.

Det Crawley can be contacted at Clacton police station on 01225 221312.

elliot.furniss@eadt.co.uk