Police have stepped up the hunt for a gang of jewellery thieves who have struck again in Hampshire.

Burglars stole around £20,000 worth of Asian gold from a house in Honeysuckle Road, Southampton, in what officers believe to be a targeted raid.

It is the latest in a spate of similar thefts, with Hampshire officers now involved in several investigations in a bid to find those responsible for the crimes.

Police believe the house was targeted and that the burglars may have been watching and waited for the homeowner to leave.

The woman left the house at around 10.30am on Friday and discovered the burglary when she returned at 12.30pm.

In March four homes were targeted across the county, with thousands of pounds worth of jewellery taken.

Homes in the Eastleigh and Southampton areas were ransacked on the same day as the suspects fled with a huge haul of gold jewellery and expensive electrical items.

The break-ins occurred at The Nook and Cranbury Road, Eastleigh, and in Coleson Road, Bitterne and Raymond Road, Shirley, with officers linking the incidents.

And last November thieves smashed their way into the Bolina family home in Bitterne Park, Southampton, fleeing with more than £100,000 in 22 and 24-carat jewellery, £90,000 in cash and even an urn containing the ashes of the family’s grandmother.

The offenders broke into the property in River View Road and ripped out two safes containing the haul.

It is not known whether police are linking the latest theft with any of the previous incidents.

Anyone with information or who saw any suspicious activity in the Honeysuckle Road area should call PC Ron Mawejje at Bitterne CID on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.