A young mother says she does not want to be at home after burglars stole cash, jewellery, children's toys and two pairs of her knickers.

The mum-of-two said she was worried about her safety after thieves stole the items from her home in Northampton Road, Market Harborough - and questioned whether the theft of her underwear indicated there could be a "sexual element" to the crime.

The 30-year-old, who works part-time in a restaurant, said the theft happened between 9am on Tuesday and 9pm yesterday, while she was away in Bournemouth with her two sons.

“It is weird and unsettling,” she said.

“They took the obvious stuff like the little safe from under my bed which had cash and jewellery in and they took the Xbox and a fake Louis Vuitton bag.

“But they also took some Minecraft figures, a Captain America figure and a box of Lego belonging to my youngest son.

“Someone found the fake bag abandoned near my house and I got it back. It had two pairs of my knickers in.

“There were lots of pairs of knickers in my drawer so why take two pairs? Why take any? Is there some kind of sexual element to this burglary?

“Why take my kids’ toys? My mind is racing.

“It is all rather bizarre and a bit worrying.”

The mum said that her youngest son’s passport, which was in the safe, was found in nearby Brampton Valley Way.

“So we know they got the safe open,” she said. “All our passports and birth certificates were in there and my jewellery and £2,000 in cash for the boys. I was going to put it into an account but never got round to it.

“We are all upset by this. I have had the locks changed but we don’t know how they got in.

“There were no signs of forced entry. It’s all very strange.”

Anyone with information about the burglary can call Leicestershire Police on 101.