A mum-of-one has been left “shaken and upset” after a burglar caused almost £2,000 of damage to her city home.

Maggie Platten and her partner, Korhan Karadag-Roberts, had left their house in Knowlton Walk, Canterbury, at about 10am on Monday morning to go shopping.

While they were out, two pieces of concrete were thrown through their back door and their belongings had been rummaged through.

When they returned an hour-and-a-half later, Ms Platten, 33, saw a person in dark clothing scampering out of their back garden.

“We think they may have been watching us leaving and that we disturbed them when we pulled up,” Mr Karadag-Roberts said.

“I thought there may have been someone still in the property, so I ran upstairs. There wasn’t any time to do anything else. My partner was shaken and upset.”

Their wardrobe had been searched, but all that had been taken was a shaving set. Drawers positioned behind their four-month-old son’s crib were also rummaged through.

In addition, cabinets in their living room had “nothing of value” stolen from them – despite containing car keys, passports and theatre tickets.

“They took 15 Christmas cards that were in a bag on the kitchen counter,” Mr Karadag-Roberts said. “They also looked through a couple of other things that were a bit random.

“Maggie was obviously pretty distressed because the thought of someone being in the baby’s nursery going through our stuff worried her.

“It prompts you to think of security measures and makes you a bit more aware of what’s happening around you.”

“They took 15 Christmas cards that were in a bag on the kitchen counter...”Korhan Karadag-Roberts

When the pieces of concrete were thrown through their back door, the couple’s cooker was also smashed. Mr Karadag-Roberts, 35, estimates that up to £1,800 of damage was caused.

“A lot of stuff like this has been happening in the area over the last year or so,” he continued.

“It’s a very secluded, hidden area. Because of the way the area is constructed it’s an ideal area for crime as there’s a lot of escape routes.

“There’s also no sense of community here, which means that nobody looks out for anybody else.”

The 35-year-old believes their home was raided by just one person.

Police say a crime scene investigator has visited the property and inquiries are ongoing.

They urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area between 10am and 11.55am to phone them on 01843 222289, quoting the reference number 10-0698, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.