A TERRIFIED woman awoke to be confronted by a knife-wielding burglar in her room.

The 62-year-old woman was woken by a loud banging noise in the early hours of Saturday morning and switched on her bedside lamp to see her bedroom door being opened by a man wearing a dark hooded top and carrying a large knife.

The intruder came into the room and demanded money from the terrified victim, then instructed her to go downstairs to the living room. Once there, she was forced to hand over a small quantity of cash before the burglar left and escaped in an unknown direction.

The incident happened at around 1.30am at the victim's home in Beverley Terrace, in the village of Catchgate, near Stanley.

Police say the suspect, who was white and aged around 18 or 19 years, had forced his way into the terraced house through the back door.

Over the weekend, police carried out house-to-house enquiries in the area while crime scene investigators examined the house for clues.

Detective sergeant Paul Gray said: "Crimes of this type are very unusual in our area and this must have been a terrifying incident for the victim.

"We have spoken to neighbours and other people in the street and would ask anyone who might have been in Beverley Terrace in the early hours of Saturday to come forward if they can help us,"

The suspect is described as being around 5' 9" tall and of stocky build. As well as the hooded top, he was wearing dark coloured trousers.

Anyone with information is asked to ring Consett CID on 0345 6060 365 or alternatively via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.