WAR medals, sentimental jewellery and sponsored were stolen after burglars targetted two Newport houses. Ruth Mansfield and Jessica Best report.

A NEWPORT pensioner feels nervous in her own home, after burglars stole jewellery worth more than £1000.

Thieves took sentimental jewellery belonging to Vivienne Verren, 72, when they broke into her Hendre Farm Drive, Ringland, on April 8.

Two signet rings, inscribed with the initials 'BVJ' belonging to her late husband Brian, who died four years ago, were taken, along with her mother's eternity ring, a jewellery box belonging to her late mother-in-law and her father-in-law's war medals. Mrs Verren's passport, a pair of binoculars and a camera were also taken.

Mr Verren died suddenly from a burst artery aged 69.

Mrs Verren, who is insured, said: “The jewellery had so much sentimental value to me. It is probably worth more than £1000 but I will never be able to replace it. I feel so nervous now and am very apprehensive when I’m in home on my own.”

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said the incident had been reported to them at 7.45pm on April 8. She said no-one was in the house at the time.

Burglars stole up to £100 collected for a children’s cancer charity from the home of a Newport grandmother.

Margaret Went, 67, returned to her house in Corporation Road on Monday at around 7pm after visiting family, but could not open her front door because the it had been locked from the inside.

She became suspicious, and phoned the police.

Ms Went said once officers got inside, they discovered intruders had broken in through the kitchen window.

Ms Went’s television had been stolen, but burglars also took between £50 and £100 in cash from the top of Ms Went’s microwave which the retired St Woolos ward manager had been collecting as sponsorship for her grandson Stephen Pitman.

Mr Pitman, 25, is running the London Marathon to raise cash for Children with Leukaemia after Ms Went's step grandson Michael Bowden-Jones died of cancer five years ago aged just 17.

Ms Went said: “A TV is a TV and can be replaced, but this money was going to such a good cause, and Stephen is going to have to work hard for it.”

Ms Went added that she planned to replace the money out of her own pension when she could.

“He will have the money. It might be a bit late, but I will replace it somehow,” she added.

Gwent Police said the burglary happened some time between 2pm and 7.30pm on Monday April 12, and the items taken included cash and a black Samsung 32-inch television with the model number SM32B457B.

Anyone with information about either of the burglaries should ring Gwent Police on 101.