A heartbroken Chester  mum is devastated after  thieves ransacked her home  and stole presents she had  bought for her baby’s first  birthday and Christmas.

Jessica Harris, 18, had been saving up  all year to make sure her daughter  Princess Scarlett-Elise’s first birthday and festive season would be special.

She bought and wrapped more than  £500 worth of presents and left the majority of them under the Christmas tree at  her home on Stamford Road in Blacon.

But after popping round to see her  family for an hour on Tuesday evening,  Jessica was horrified to return home to  find thieves had climbed in through an  open window and raided her home,  taking most of the presents she had so  carefully chosen for little Princess.

Among the items taken were a £300 white 32-inch TV, £110 in cash, £200  worth of toys and various clothes.

Jessica, who lives alone with her  daughter, said she was ‘heartbroken’  after the callous thieves ruined preparations for her daughter’s first birthday, which falls on Christmas Eve.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got back –  they had been in every room of the house  – it was just such a mess,” she said.

“The first I saw of it was the coin box I  keep behind my TV was gone. Then I  saw that most of the presents that had  been stacked up by the wall were gone.

“They had been through my underwear  drawer and even poured fabric conditioner  over the floor to get rid of footprints.”

Jessica added: “It’s just heartbreaking  because of how much I’ve saved to make  it a nice Christmas for my daughter.

“It was either decorate the living  room or have a special Christmas and I  chose Christmas. Now with a week to  go, there’s just no way I’m going to be  able to afford to buy more.

“I can’t settle at night now. I keep walking around to make sure all my windows  and doors are all locked – I’m paranoid.

“But I just desperately want to get  this out there to warn people to make  sure their homes are safe so this  doesn’t happen again.”

A Cheshire police spokesperson said:  “Anyone with information about this  incident should contact Chester Outer  Neighbourhood Policing Unit on 101  quoting incident number 821 of 17  December or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”