AN EXPERT gang of jewel thieves, which has hit more than 100 upmarket Hamp-shire homes, has returned.

Police fear the raiders, who have already escaped with gems worth tens of thousands of pounds, have sneaked back into the area.

A new raid that bagged about £20,000 of jewellery bore all the hallmarks of the serial burglars, who first struck in the area more than three years ago and returned earlier this year.

The raiders target homes in the late afternoon and have bypassed sophisticated alarms and security systems. They ignore expensive electrical equipment to snatch only the most valuable jewellery.

The thieves have so far evaded capture despite a special police team being set up to crack the case.

Now detectives and homeowners have been put on red alert in a bid to catch the gang.