A father of two has spoken of the morning he awoke to realise burglars had been in his house and stolen 120 watches worth £2,500 while his children slept just metres away.

Rob Jones, an amateur watch collector who lives on Kimberley Park Road in Falmouth, awoke last Monday morning at around 4am and went to work without a second thought. But when he returned home later that morning and went to make breakfast for his daughters, aged two and six, he realised there was something missing.

The night before he had been arranging a part of his collection after having bought a load of new timepieces on the Sunday, and had left two cases out in his kitchen when he went to bed. The next morning they had gone.

He said: "My wife was just about to go to work and go about her routine. I set about getting the children's breakfast, and all of a sudden I thought to myself 'there's something missing, something's not right.'

"All of a sudden it dawned on me my watch collection was no longer on the breakfast bar."

He added: "Bearing in mind my family were in bed at the time this happened. In my view it's quite a serious thing."

Although the kitchen does not face onto the street, it appears that an opportunist thief or thieves had spotted the watches and broken in through an unsecured kitchen window, ignoring any other items.

Rob called police on the 101 number, and a scene of crime officer visited the house to check for any evidence that might identify the thief.

While he is glad that things weren't worse, he is also concerned about how serious the incident could have been.

He said: "God forbid somebody touched my kids or had a knife to my throat."

"But I have lost 120 watches, you could say almost a lifetime's collection. It was going to be something of a nest egg."

Since then Rob has learned that a neighbour had her bike stolen the same night, while he has also heard that an attempt had been made at another home in the area to "fish" somebody's handbag through their letter box.

He said: "I don't know if it's an organised group or a one off opportunist.

"It's extremely worrying."

Adding to Rob's worries about having an intruder in his home is his concern that Falmouth's police can't cope with the amount of crime that's going on. Apart from talking to a PCSO on the telephone, he said he has not received any official visit from a police officer.

He said: "I spoke to a PCSO, and he gave the impression that Falmouth is really, really under policed."

"I am concerned that Falmouth is on the brink of a huge crime wave, and there doesn't appear to be the resources to protect us."

He added: "If there was a little more urgency, and a little more police on the beat, there might be a little more chance of recovering my goods."

Rob has said he does not hold out much hope of having the watches returned. He said they were not particularly valuable, as he is mainly interested in 1950s and 1960s gentlemen's dress watches, but they are now "rare survivors."

"But," he added, "it doesn't take a lot to suddenly mount up.

"They have left a big hole in my soul."

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that a burglary was reported to them just before 9.30am on Monday, August 15, and it is under investigation.

They also confirmed the theft of a bike from a nearby property, but are not currently linking the two.

A spokesperson added that officers had tried to contact Rob, and were now “in regular touch.”

Detective Constable Simon Rafferty said police were particularly keen to hear from anyone who has been offered watches for sale and is uncertain of where they came from.

He said: “Similarly, if you have been offered a bicycle for sale, or if you saw anything suspicious in relation to that theft, please get in touch.”

DC Rafferty added: “We’d like to remind everyone of the importance of securing their premises at all times, especially at night or if they are away from the property. As the warm weather continues it is tempting to leave windows open but if you are not using a room then all windows should be secured. Also, do not leave keys where they can be easily located such as near letterboxes or catflaps, and keep valuable property out of sight inside your home.”

Anyone with any information is urged to contact police by calling 101 or emailing 101@dc.police.uk, quoting crime reference CR/056944/16 regarding the watches, or CR/056515/16 for the bike theft.

More information about keeping your home and possessions safe and secure can be found on the Devon and Cornwall Police website at www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/prevention-and-advice/your-home