POLICE have appealed for witnesses after thieves sneaked into an elderly woman's home and stole money.

The woman, who is in her 80s, had left her door unlocked because she was expecting a visit from her daughter.

The two thieves, who have been described as youths, sneaked into the house and began to rummage through the woman's possessions.

They were in the house, in Wren Avenue, in the Haughton part of Darlington, for between five and ten minutes, during which they made off with cash.

The theft happened at around 12.20pm on Thursday.

The police said there had been a report of a suspicious looking blue estate car in the area.

Acting Detective Sergeant Bridie Kinnane said: "She was shaken but she is a very determined lady.

"This doesn't happen on a regular basis, but we would like to remind people to leave their doors locked and be careful who they let into their homes."

She said this was especially important in the run up to Christmas as people have expensive presents in their houses.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective Constable Danny Townsend at Darlington Police via 0845 60 60 365.