THE daughter of a 93-year-old woman who discovered her home had been burgled on Mother’s Day has told of her fears for Frampton Cotterell’s elderly residents.

Elizabeth Bartlett said her mother, who does not want to be named, has been left very shaken after thieves broke into her home opposite the Park Farm estate and stole treasured jewellery including the engagement ring given to her by her late husband.

“She is quite distressed,” sad Mrs Bartlett. “They are items she has treasured since she was a young girl. My father gave her that ring in 1938 and she had wanted to leave it to her great-granddaughters.”

The distinctive ring, with a twisted bar set with sapphires and diamonds, was taken along with a gold eternity ring with garnets and diamonds and a gold locket.

“They were quite valuable but mainly they were of sentimental importance,” added Mrs Bartlett, who collected her mother for a trip to her own home in Devon last Wednesday, March 26.

“They didn’t find any money because mum is sensible and they didn’t take anything else. They didn’t trash the place but they did go through everything, they even went into the loft in case she had hidden things up there.”

The discovery was made when Mrs Bartlett’s son, Edward Phillips, brought his grandmother home on Mother’s Day (March 30) morning.

“What a great Mother’s Day surprise she had,” said her daughter. “We don’t know when it happened and neighbours wouldn’t have known as the thieves broke in through a back window.

“But I was aware when I picked her that Wednesday morning of a group of people watching me put her case in the boot. There were about half a dozen of late teens to people in their thirties hanging around the entrance to Park Farm.

“I want to warn people to be very discreet if they are going away.”

She said there had been an increase in trouble in the village since Barratt Homes built another phase of the Park Farm development on Denny’s Field in 2011.

“I know there have been more problems since the estate was developed. Mum has lived there for 40 years and it used to be such a quiet little place but now it is noisy, there is anti-social behaviour and the police get called a lot at night.”

Anyone with any information on the burglary or who has been offered the rings or locket for sale is asked to call Avon and Somerset police on 101.