BURGLARS took a dip in a family's garden hot tub before breaking into their home to steal possessions worth more than £3,500.

And police believe a 'hot tub' gang is on the prowl after two earlier reports of intruders taking unauthorised soaks.

One of the previous incidents last month was at the burgled house.

The other was in the same street in Oswaldtwistle.

This week the hot tub pranksters had the nerve take their outdoor bath as Ashley and Cherie Deakin slept upstairs at around 1.30am.

The burglars then forced open the back door of the detached home in Orchard Drive and stole property including a 42” plasma TV, Nintendo Wii console, mobile phones, laptop and wallet.

Mrs Deakin said: "We have been shocked at how cheeky it is.

“It is so unusual having people trying to sneak on to your property to use the hot tub. It is bizarre."

Mrs Deakin told of the earlier incident after they bought the hot tub a year ago as a joint 40th birthday present.

She said: “About six weeks ago we had some people in our back garden.

"We woke up in the morning and found that people had sneaked in to use the hot tub over night.

"The lid was off and there were chairs strewn around the garden.

“We went round to our neighbours and their hot tub had also been used and the neighbour in between found two pairs of wet underpants in their garden.

"But there had been nothing since then."

Mrs Deakin, 40, who works as a senior case worker at Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Blackburn, said herself, husband and their son Nathaniel, 16, were trying to be positive, but had been left upset by the burglary.

She said: “Maybe these people think it is the only way to get their kicks.

"Some people go sky diving and maybe some people break in to back gardens to use other people’s hot tubs.

"Luckily we had moved the Christmas presents and put them away in a safe place but we are really shaken up.

"It is not nice to have people in your house while the family is upstairs.

"It will leave us out of pocket before Christmas but I think it is sad that someone has done this.

"I actually feel sorry for them if they have to resort to this sort of thing."

Sergeant Simon Holderness from Accrington police said the incident was being investigated.

He said: “We understand there has been some unusual activity in the gardens of the homes in recent weeks related to the hot tubs.”

Anyone with information can call police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.