Two cars and a handbag containing keys were also stolen
The thieves took the presents under the Christmas tree(Image: Submitted)
A family’s Christmas was ruined after heartless thieves reportedly stole two cars, a handbag and a number of Christmas presents in the early hours of the morning. The devastated family woke up on Sunday, December 15, to find their belongings gone after thieves broke into the house through the back door.
The burglars themselves took all the Christmas presents under the tree from the house on the Ford estate in Litherland, including toys, clothes, Lego sets, whiskey and more. A white Ford Fiesta and a white Ford Puma were also taken.
Phillip Meadows, 36, told the ECHO how his wife was at her mother’s house wrapping Christmas presents, only to discover the next morning that they had all been stolen. Phillip said: “My wife went to my mother-in-law’s house to wrap all the Christmas presents.
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“She left around 1:30 a.m., and then she came home and we went to bed. The next morning, we were woken up early in the morning by another family member to say their mother’s house had been robbed.”
Phillip said the family “didn’t hear anything” as the burglars were helping themselves at some point during the night. He added: “They just came down in the morning and everything was gone. I think the burglars just came round to collect the cars and when they came in through the back they had seen the whole of Christmas.” presents and thought: ‘oh, we’ll take that too.’
According to Phillip, around £1,500 worth of items were stolen from under the Christmas tree while his mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law slept upstairs. His mother-in-law’s handbag, which contained car keys and keys to the property, was also stolen.
Following the burglary, the family had to replace “every lock in the house”, which reportedly cost around £750. Phillip said his mother-in-law is “very shocked” and “absolutely devastated” by the incident.
He added: “She wants to get Christmas out of the way and then they will consider moving. Obviously we’re still in shock, but everything is fine. I know me and my wife are much more careful now about making sure the doors are locked and we take the car keys to bed with us. We plan to install CCTV on our house for extra security.”
Phillip has set up a GoFundMe to “get Christmas back” for the family. Anyone who would like to donate to the fundraiser can do so here.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm that an investigation is underway following a burglary at Litherland in the early hours of Sunday, December 15. At around 6.50am a resident of (the Ford estate) reported that access had been gained to the property during the night and car keys, two vehicles and gifts had been stolen.
“CCTV, forensics, doorcam and other investigations are ongoing. If you live locally and saw, heard or captured anyone suspiciously between 2:30am and 6am, please contact us on @MerPolCC or 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with reference 24001052231.”