A FAMILY have ben left devastated after burglars snatched cherished heirlooms and possessions worth thousands of pounds from their Brentwood home.
Among items stolen in the raid at the home of the Millington family, in Conifer Drive, was a distinctive gold and sapphire engagement ring belonging to 22-year-old Lauren.
The nine-carat piece, which has three diamonds missing around the main blue jewel, was handed down by her grandmother Vera, who died in 2005, aged 71.
Miss Millington said that she had plans for the ring.
"I was looking to wear my grandmother's engagement ring when I get married one day as something blue, but obviously I cannot do that any more," she told the Gazette.
"These people are very low and must be extremely desperate to be able to walk into someone's house and not take a moment to think what they are doing.
"This is a terrible, terrible thing to do. I don't feel particularly safe in my own home any more."
It is believed the criminals broke through the conservatory door by snapping the lock before grabbing 53-year-old father Garry Millington's rucksack and heading upstairs.
They then ransacked the firefighter's bedroom and that of Miss Millington, taking a gold baby bracelet engraved with "Lauren" "5/10/90" and a gold axe pendant given to Garry by his father for his 21st birthday, as well as Vera's gold wedding ring.
The raiders also pilfered a silver Links of London charm bracelet worth £450, a Gucci bracelet worth £125, an early camcorder which contained videos of Miss Millington and her sister Lottie, 19, as children plus Mr Millington's prized Fender electric guitar.
Administrator Miss Millington, who also lost her Christmas present, a new iPad, described the scene after she returned to an empty house at around 9pm on January 20.
"I've got a little cat and she was quite frightened when I came in and that was very odd," she explained.
"I was looking around my room and thought 'this is not right', it was only when I went into my Dad's room that I realised that we had been robbed.
Miss Millington added: "I was mortified and really, really angry that I had been violated and someone had been in my house and taken my possessions.
"What really, really upsets me is that I have a collage of pictures of friends, family and my partner on my bedroom wall and it's very scary to think they have looked at my face in the pictures and still decided to steal."
Police are investigating.
Call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
