"THEY stole all of my mother's jewellery, and the memories I have of her along with it."
That was the emotional claim of mum-of-two Joanna Brown whose Matson home was burgled.
Thieves broke in through her kitchen window while she was out and ransacked the upstairs, making off with more than £10,000 worth of jewellery.
The haul included earrings, bracelets, 50 watches and more than 500 rings, all of which had been left to Joanna by her mother Verma, who died three years ago.
"My mother used to collect jewellery, I can still see her wearing it all," said Joanna, who lives in Corncroft Lane.
"It wasn't something I advertised – having it all – I only wear modest jewellery myself so it's not like anyone knew it was there.
"I feel terrible. I can't sleep at night now. Any little sound wakes me up.
"I haven't been going out either, and I make sure all the blinds are shut."
Mrs Brown, who lives with her two sons, said she is unsure as to which day the offence took place on at the weekend.
She said: "I arrived home on Saturday from work and the door was open, but I just thought one of my boys had left it open so I thought no more of it. It wasn't enough for me to check if things had been taken.
"The next morning I came home from church and the door was open again. The downstairs was untouched but the upstairs was totally ransacked.
"Only when I started clearing up did I realise things had been taken, it was heartbreaking. They left nothing, not even an earring. I think they broke in on the Saturday and then again on the Sunday."
Police investigations revealed marks around the kitchen window where a screwdriver was used to force entry.
Officers have not ruled out a link to a burglary in Tuffley on May 13, where an 88-year-old woman's home was ransacked.
A police spokesman said: "Our sympathy is with the victim, who has suffered the loss of many items with great sentimental value."
Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area should call 101, quoting incident 210 of May 26.