Burglars raided a home and stole the family car from the driveway as the owners were asleep upstairs.

The thieves broke into the house in Rectory Park Drive, Pitsea in the early hours of yesterday morning and stole hundreds of pounds worth of jewellery and electrical items, before driving away with the car.

Robert Luckhurst, 58, a lorry driver, had woken up at about 4am and was in the bathroom when he heard a car door slam.

By the time he made his way to the bedroom window – minutes later – his five-year-old dark grey Ford Focus had disappeared.

The dad-of-three said: “I came downstairs and all the doors had been left wide open.

“They hadn’t really moved a lot, just everything that was on top of tables they had stolen.

“They stole my two laptops, my wife’s jewellery and then the car keys and the car.

“It is a horrible feeling to know they have been downstairs while we were asleep. We didn’t hear anything.

“Wewere burgled about 10 years ago, but we have never had it happen to this extent. It’s awful.

“I have already been on the phone to the insurance company and they won’t offer me a courtesy car.

“It’s frustrating because I use the car for work and socialising.”

The thieves stole four bracelets, three watches and two necklaces.

One of the watches had a distinctive white strap with silver diamonds round the face.

Mr Luckhurst, 58, urged homeowners tomake sure their door was doublelocked after he made the mistake of not pulling the door handle upwards, which offers extra security.

Two weeks ago, thieves broke into a home in Kirby Road, Basildon, overnight and took the keys to a grey Renault Megane and a grey Volkswagen Polo, as well as money, electrical items and a handbag.

The cars were also driven away from a driveway and one of them was found burnt out in a nearby housing estate.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at Basildon on 101.