A BOURNEMOUTH woman woke up to find a balaclava-wearing burglar in her bedroom.

At around 4am on Saturday, the offender, who was unknown to the woman, entered the ground floor flat in Christchurch Road, near to the Iford roundabout.

The offender was seen reaching for the woman’s mobile phone before he was startled and ran out of the house onto Christchurch Road. The victim – who is aged in her 50s – discovered that the offender had searched most of the rooms in her flat.

She found that her bank cards had been removed from her purse.

An investigation is under way, and officers have established that the offender gained access to the flat through an open ground floor window.

Detective Sergeant Andy Haworth, of Bournemouth CID, said: “I am appealing to anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the Christchurch Road area in the early hours of this morning to please contact Dorset Police.

“As the offender was disturbed during this incident, it is possible that he may have disposed of the victim’s bank cards and the balaclava he was wearing in the nearby area. I would ask anyone who discovers such items near their property, in their gardens or bins to contact us.

“Finally, this is one of a number of burglaries we are investigating where offenders have gained access to properties via open windows. I am urging residents to ensure they shut their windows at night, particularly those on the ground floor. Do not make life easy for burglars.”