Young families, living in the North Ward area of Ross-on-Wye have been frightened when burglars have attempted to break-in their homes, during the early hours of the morning. In the most recent incident, which occurred on Friday, January 8th, a toddler was terrified when an intruder attempted to enter his family home while everyone was tucked up in bed.

Michelle Downing posted on the Ross-on-Wye Notice Board on Facebook on Friday, January 8th, to warn other local residents about the attempted break-in. She explained this was the second incident they have had in recent weeks.

She told the Ross Gazette: “It happened at 4am. Myself, my partner and our children were in bed, and we heard the back door going. My son started screaming. He’s 17 and a half months old. My partner rushed out of bed, and we could see a light shining through the door, with a shadow cast on the floor.”

Michelle explained that when her partner, Martin, reached the back door, the person had gone. Their son was very scared, and it took a while for Michelle to settle him. “It was more horrible because my son was that frightened,” Michelle explained.

Michelle and Martin have another very young child, aged four and a half months. Michelle explained that it should be obvious to everyone that she has young children living at their home, because there are lots of children’s toys in the garden.

They called the police, and a patrol car was sent to investigate. The police told the couple they would be keeping an eye on the area.

Michelle explained that she has lived in Ross all her life. “We’ve never had anything like this before,” she said.

In another incident, which occurred before Christmas, Michelle explained that she was wrapping Christmas presents in the front room at about 2am, when she became aware that someone was attempting to enter her home. She said this has led to her feeling targeted by these criminals.

Michelle told the Gazette she intends to get a security camera, to try to stop this incident from happening in the future.

This is not the only crime of this sort in the area. Michelle explained that her friend, who lives nearby, has recently experienced a similar incident.

One of Michelle’s neighbours, Steph Price, has also had someone try to get into her home, while she was in it. She told the Ross Gazette: “A few weeks back, I was woken up at 3am, and my three-year-old son was also woken up. Someone had jumped over my wall and was trying to get in through the back door; they kept pushing the handle up and down with force.”

Steph explained that when her partner turned on the light and opened the upstairs window, whoever had been trying to enter their home had gone, but she suspects they went to Michelle’s house, as this was the same night that she experienced the first attempted break-in.

The Ross Gazette would like to remind local residents to be vigilant. Make sure doors and windows are locked at all times, even when you are at home.

Keep an eye out for your neighbours; if you see anyone suspicious investigating properties in your area, be sure to report it to the police by calling 101.

If you have experienced an attempted break-in during recent weeks, but did not report it to the police at the time, you can still report it by calling 101, and this may help the police’s investigation.

You can also report information anonymously, by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.