A TIVERTON woman has spoken of her disgust and anger after thieves broke into her car and stole her handbag while she visited the town's cemetery on Father's Day.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to the Gazette in order to warn other drivers not to become victims of opportunist thieves.

The woman, who lives in the Westexe area, had been visiting the cemetery in Park Road with her husband on the afternoon of Father's Day.

She said: "We parked up and left the car, I didn't take any notice of anyone around. We went to my father-in-law's grave and we needed some water, so my husband went back and got a watering can. At that point he said 'hello' to another visitor to the cemetery and we went and visited the graves of other family members.

"We weren't in there very long and when we came out someone asked: 'Is this your car?'

"I went to look at the passenger side and I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't say a brick, not even a stone, it was more like half a paving slab had been used to break the window and my bag which I had left by the footwell was missing.

"It makes you feel sick that somebody would do that. We weren't in the cemetery for very long, and it is always busy up there.

"For someone to have the nerve to do that, it is just disgusting.

"On the Sunday night I was shaken up and upset, but by the Monday I was angry more than anything else. I had to take the day off work to wait around for the windscreen to be repaired."

The bag also contained money which had been put aside for a family holiday.

"I have got holidays to pay for. I worked for that money. Why can't they go to work like anyone else instead of doing this?"

Adding to the frustration was a feeling that the couple may have been targeted by a thief lying in wait.

The woman explained: "A gentleman came out of the cemetery and said, 'That was done when I came in', and he arrived just after us. We think it must have been within the first three or four minutes of getting there that they broke in. We were parked directly opposite the cemetery. I think they would have known why we were there."

She also wanted to warn other motorists not to leave valuable items on display when they left their vehicles.

She said: "I spoke to the man who came to mend the windshield and he said they had done repairs where criminals had broken into a car for a packet of cigarettes and for loose change; they are really low."

Police believe the theft from the blue Renault happened between 3.30pm and 3.40pm on Sunday, June 20.

PC Sarah Stevens, from Tiverton Police Station, said: "Given the short period of time the couple were at the cemetery, it seems likely someone might have been hanging around and watching the vehicles.

"We ask anyone who may have seen someone acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the cemetery on Father's Day to contact us."

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Stevens on 08452 777444, quoting KT/10/1024.

PC Stevens also warned motorists to make sure valuable items were kept out of view when they left their vehicles.