A woman has told of her fear as she pretended to be asleep while burglars searched her bedside tables.

The woman woke and realised someone was inside her home and acting quickly feigned being asleep as the trio of culprits searched her room 

She says she is now frightened every time she wakes up at night thinking she has heard a noise.

The three burglars responsible have been jailed for a total of more than 13 years.

Speaking of her horror, the victim said: “The burglary was an extremely frightening experience as I feigned sleep whilst the intruders came up to my bed and searched the bedside tables either side of the bed. 

“I have been left with considerable anxiety when trying to sleep. 

“If I wake in the night thinking I have heard a noise my heart starts hammering again and it takes some time before I manage to sleep again.”

The three burglars broke into two homes in Swindon, one in Cricklade, plus homes in Pitstone, Crawley and Great Missenden.

They carried out searches of the victim’s personal belongings, making off with sentimental items.

In another incident, a woman was woken in the middle of the night by noises in her home.

When she got up to investigate she found a window open in a bedroom, a cupboard had been searched and items missing.

The three men were Blerim Rodogoshi, 41, Klodian Ruci, 32 and Hazret Zmakaj, 25.

They were jailed for 63 months, 45 months, and 54 months respectively after pleading guilty to six counts of burglary and were sentenced at Swindon Crown Court last week.

Det Insp Sarah Champion said: “The actions of these three men have had a significant impact on the victims – to be woken in the middle of the night by intruders is one of the most terrifying experiences you can endure, especially when you live alone. 

“I would like to praise the victims who have helped us put these three individuals before the courts for their atrocious offending.

“I’m pleased that significant custodial sentences have been handed to the three men and I hope it provides some comfort and closure to the victims.”

Tackling burglaries is one of the priorities of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Swindon was recently revealed in a study to be a burglary hotspot with Swindon accounting for 29 per cent of the burglaries across the county. 

There were 608 residential break-ins recorded by police in the past year.