POLICE are investigating a break-in at a care home in Bishop Auckland on Monday morning.

The incident happened at approximately 1.20am on February 10, an intruder forced their way into the administration offices of the care home in Escomb Road.

The burglar, who was wearing dark clothing and a hat, gained access to the offices and escaped with cash and property belonging to residents.

The intruder is then believed to have left the area in a saloon-type car.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “For burglars to target a care home and deliberately steal from the elderly is beyond belief.

“An investigation is underway and we have a number of active lines of enquiry which are being followed.

“However, we would urge any witnesses or anyone who has information about who committed this crime to come forward and let us know”.

Anyone living in Escomb Road who has CCTV footage which would be useful to the inquiry or anyone driving in Escomb Road between the hours of 00:25 and 01:20am who has dashcam footage is asked to check their footage for any suspicious people or vehicles.

Anyone with information is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101 and ask for Bishop Auckland CID, quoting incident number 10 of February 10.