A thief broke into a pensioner's flat and stole money from her bedroom as she slept.

The 82-year-old woman awoke at 3am to go to the toilet and realised something was wrong.

After getting up, she realised a quantity of money had been stolen from the room in which she had been sleeping.

The thief had forced open a kitchen window and climbed into the flat at Mayfields, in Darlington, some time between 9pm on Monday and 3am the following morning.

After searching the flat, the man made his way into the room and stole the money before leaving the woman undisturbed.

Detective Sergeant Alec Francis, of Darlington police, said: "Burglary is a crime which is high on our priorities in terms of reducing and detecting incidents.

"It is very similar to an attack on the person, because it is an intrusion of privacy."

He added: "I think sometimes the crime itself is abhorrent and the offender doesn't know what he or she is going into and the long lasting effects it can have, particularly on the vulnerable and the elderly."

Anyone who has information is urged to contact either Darlington police on (01325) 467681 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.