Student houses can be a tempting prospect to thieves, with a whole host of laptops, televisions and gaming devices dotted around the place.
And party loving students who stay out into the early hours, leaving the house unattended can give these thieves the perfect opportunity to steal the goods.
However, Hayley Wareing slept peacefully in her bed as dawn was breaking on the 20th January, unaware of the terrifying ordeal going on outside her bedroom door.
The noise of someone moving in the house on Trinity Road, Gillingham disturbed the 19 year old art student at the University of Kent but she presumed it was one of her housemates walking around.
She never imagined it would be a group of thieves smashing the bathroom window and taking the most expensive valuables from the four bedroom house.
“I was half asleep when I heard the noise but I thought it was just my housemate Ben so I went back to sleep.”
Unknown to Hayley, the burglars managed to make off with over £1,700 worth of equipment including an Apple Mac book worth £1000, a flat screen TV valued at £200 and a Hewlett Packard Laptop worth £500 as well as a selection of the students’ wallets, purses, phones and keys.
The Pads4Grads owned property backs onto an alleyway which the burglars used to move the goods. The students say they have never had a problem with the alleyway before.
Unfortunately for Hayley, along with her housemates Jessica and Ben they were not covered by contents insurance for the stolen items.
Fourth housemate Jamie does have contents insurance but did not have anything stolen in the raid.
The incident initially left the two girls scared to sleep alone.
Jessica said: “The night after it happened, we both took all of our stuff into the living room and slept in there with a baseball bat between us.”
Police investigating the incident have not made any arrests.
It is estimated by the Home Office 1 in 3 students becomes the victim of a crime each year and many of these are property related.
And this type of crime is a particular problem in the area that surrounds the Universities at Medway Campus which is popular with students.
The last crime statistics taken within a one mile radius of Trinity Road was a shows the area to be a crime hotspot. A staggering 22 burglaries took place in the North Gillingham area in November 2012. This is the highest figure in over two years.
And other students in the area have been targeted.
Macha, 21 is a Criminal Justice student at the University of Kent. Her five bedroom student house on Kingswood Road, Gillingham was also burgled back in October during the University of Kent’s Reading Week.
Thieves managed to unlock the front door using a screwdriver. Once inside they forced their way into the two front bedrooms and took two laptops and a handful of x box games. They also made off with bags to carry these in and a few smaller valuables.
The break in happened in broad daylight but none of the students were in the house and there are no witnesses to the incident.
Macha explains that although the front door to the house does double lock, not all her housemates realised this.
She said: “Since our burglary, I tried to inform my friends about the double locking and advised them to use it.
“However, I have since heard of at least four other houses which have been burgled, all in the streets between ours and university.”
Macha, from Ireland and who was in Ireland at the time of the burglary says the break in has made her consider the safety of the area, particularly as it is not an isolated incident.
“One of these burglaries happened with people sleeping in the house, one who heard the noises but being female couldn’t do much about it.
“Mainly similar things were taken; Laptops, cameras, external hard drives, game machines, tvs and suitcases to put the stuff into.”
She also said how the lack of insurance students have has proved problematic.
“Very few students have house insurance and as far as I know no one has been able to do much about it.”
Yas Robinson’s house on Stanley Road, Gillingham was also burgled during the October Reading Week whilst her and her housemates were away.
Thieves took televisions, a camera and other electrical items by using a screwdriver to get through the door.
The Sports therapy student had her television stolen and like many of the students burgled, did not have contents insurance.
Anyone with information should contact Kent Police.
In light of these break- ins, students in Medway should be vigilant regarding their belongings.