BURGLARS ransacked the home of a disabled woman as she lay in a hospital bed after collapsing from a diabetic attack.

Victoria Manson, 34, was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary after becoming ill at her home in Accrington Road, Blackburn.

Miss Manson, who has a live-in carer, said she believed the raiders had seen the ambulance arrive at her home before they broke in.

Police described the crime as despicable and vowed to catch those responsible.

And today Miss Manson, who only moved to the town from Bolton in January after her live-in-carer was attacked, said she could no longer stay in the home for fear of the thieves returning.

Details of the offence were released after it was revealed burglars had targeted the home of five-year-old Wolverhampton girl Leah Preston while her family was at her bedside following a savage dog attack.

Miss Manson said: "My landlord is showing me round some other houses this week, and I just want to move out as soon as possible.

"Even when my carer goes to the shop I have to go with him because I can't stay in here on my own. I want to stay in East Lancashire but in a quiet village."

Miss Manson was admitted to BRI at around 5.30pm on Saturday. Although doctors wanted to transfer her to Queen's Park Hospital for treatment on an enlarged liver, Miss Manson -- who also suffers from arthritis, depression and asthma -- was kept on the infirmary's assessment ward overnight and released on Sunday night.

Her full-time carer returned home at 10pm and discovered the break-in.

Miss Manson said the thieves had removed some panels from her back door and trashed her house. They had gone through her handbag and her draws and emptied them all on the floor.

All they took was a CD player.

She said: "The house was a mess and they caused all this distress for a CD player. Now I don't feel safe to be here.

"For somebody who isn't in my condition it would be upsetting, but for me it is worse.

"I wake up a couple of times throughout the night, I still feel that the people who did this are going to come back a second time."

Her live-in carer, who does not want to be named, added: "I think this is sick, to do this to someone while they are in hospital like this is terrible.

"They must have seen the ambulance come round and then broken in."

A police spokesman said: "This is a despicable act and police are committed to providing a quality of service to any victim of crime.

"Those that are responsible for this will be pursued until they are caught."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said that Mrs Manson's carer was attacked whilst living in Bolton by three unknown people and it left him with a broken nose, missing teeth and cuts to the forehead.

Miss Manson said: "I don't want to go through anything like that again and this was the final straw. I just want to go."