Burglars caught on CCTV at a Wigan family's home while they holiday abroad

The breaking-and-entering by three dark-clothed and balaclava-wearing figures was caught on camera at the address on Windermere Road, Higher Ince, in the early hours of Sunday May 8 at 1.40am and lasted for around 46 minutes.

It happened while the family-of-five, Carly Sutcliffe, Ste Sutcliffe and their sons, Kenzie, seven, Jackson, 11 and Blake, 15 were all enjoying their first holiday abroad, in Antalya, Turkey, together since the Covid pandemic, but they had to cut it short upon receiving the bad news.

The thieves stole Carly’s black Nissan Juke off the driveway, as one figure kept watch at the front while the other two lifted the fencing at the rear and used a glass-cutter to make a hole in the back door to break-into the property.

Carly’s sister, Adele Rooney, was driving to their mum’s on the Sunday morning and passed the house on her route.

She noticed the gate was open and there was no sign of the car, which is usually parked on the drive.

Adele immediately messaged her sister to ask if it was parked somewhere else and that is the moment when they both realised something was wrong.

Adele said: “They weren’t due home until the following Sunday but they’ve had to cut their holiday short a week early.

“They tried to stay and make the most of it but none of them could relax. This whole thing has spoilt it for them.

“I noticed that the gates were open on the front and when I drove closer to it I saw the car was gone.

"I could see they’d been all through the house and turned it upside-down to find the car keys.

“We watched it all on the CCTV.

“My heart sank. It’s just upsetting, they don’t deserve what’s happened to them.

"Carly was so upset she couldn’t breathe properly through crying, it was just heartbreaking.

“The youngest is traumatised and doesn’t want to go home because he’s too scared they might come back.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.