Barefoot burglary victim chases crook down Peterborough street at 4am

A Peterborough resident has described the moment he found a burglar in his house at 4am – and chasing him barefoot down the street.

The man, who has asked to remain anonymous, was woken at his home in Broadway in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He said: “My wife heard noises at about 4am on Saturday morning, and I came downstairs to see a hooded figure sprinting away, through our dining room and out of the back door.

"I chased him barefooted with a few choice words, down Broadway towards Crawthorne Road - I only stopped when he threw my camera on the floor.”

The resident said his family had been left terrified by what had happened.

He said: “When I got back there were cupboards and drawers open everywhere. It appears he only got my work phone and a Sky controller, but there was a pile of my work laptop, headphones, speakers and other electrical equipment outside, with two TVs balanced against the wall.

"We have a child and an elderly person living with us, and both are now terrified about what this evil creature has done. We work hard to try and have a good life, and it is sickening that intruders such as these just think they can go into someone else's home and take things that are the result of that hard work. Hopefully he will be caught swiftly so that others don't suffer this misery.”

The burglar was described as being about 6ft, was wearing a dark hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms, and light trainers and gloves.

The man said he had heard there had been a number of burglaries in the area in recent days.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: “We were called at 4.26am on Saturday morning to a report of a burglary at a house in Broadway, Peterborough. Police attended and an investigation is underway. If you have any information or were in the area at the time please contact us via web-chat quoting inc 79 of 10 September.”

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted Cambridgeshire police about reports of an increase in burglaries in the area.