A BURGLARY victim today spoke of his disbelief after no one confronted a house breaker whisking away £3,400 of his property in a wheelie bin.

Reg Nicholls cannot believe that the burglar was able to make several trips from his house on busy Accrington Road, Blackburn, to a car, without anyone voicing suspicion.

Mr Nicholls, 48, appealed for anyone who saw the burglars taking his property on Thursday to contact the police.

He said some of the haul was of enormous sentimental value -- such as a ring passed down in his wife Jackie's family since the Victorian era.

Mr Nicholls, who works for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, as does his wife, said: "We are gutted.

"I think it is disgusting that nobody challenged the burglars. They must have kept going across the road with a wheelie bin full of stuff.

"Someone must have seen something."

Det Sgt Mark Evans, of Blackburn CID, said a witness had come forward saying he saw a man pushing a wheelie bin with another man carrying a vacuum cleaner.

But he appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

He added: "We will be looking at CCTV systems and alerting second hand shops."

DS Evans said that the house had been broken into by removing the back door window.

Mr Nicholls described the scene when he returned home from work at 3.10pm: "I opened the door and things were strewn everywhere and I noticed the computer had gone and that the back door was open.

"I went upstairs and noticed the contents of my wife's gold box, where she keeps her jewellery, were all over the floor.

"It is the first time we have been burgled and we feel violated. We dare not go out the house now." Jewellery taken included an 18 carat gold ring that belonged to Jackie's dad, and a diamond encrusted eternity ring which had been passed through her family.

Watches, belly button bars and ankle bracelets were also taken.

Stolen items included a substantial amount of cash, along with a computer, X Box, DVD player, DVDs and a Nokia phone.

Police said the total value of goods taken was £3,400.

Coun Tony Humphrys, whose Shadsworth ward covers the Accrington Road area, said: "It's absolutely appalling. Somebody must know who these people are.

"Accrington Road is such a busy area with all the through traffic.

"The council is encouraging people to set up neighbourhood watch schemes and have asked for more police on the beat to combat these types of incident."

Anyone with information should call Blackburn CID on 01254 353569 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.