Appeal following two aggravated burglaries in Redhill and Coulsdon.

We are investigating two aggravated burglaries that took place in Redhill and Coulsdon on Wednesday July 15 that we believe could be linked.

At around 10pm on Elmwood Road in Redhill, five burglars broke into a house, demanded watches and gold jewellery, and threatened the occupants with a hammer.

No-one was seriously hurt.

They took a Tag Heuer watch, an engagement ring and various pieces of gold jewellery. A pot containing loose coins and the car keys for a BMW X5 has also gone missing since the burglary.

The men were described as:

• Five men in their late 20’s/early 30’s.
• They were wearing balaclavas, hooded tops, and gloves.
• One of them had very vivid blue eyes.
• They spoke with Irish accents.

A 26 year-old man from Redhill arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary as part of our enquiries has been released from custody, but remains under investigation.

At around 11:45pm four men who had their faces covered broke into a house on Broad Walk in Coulsdon and stole cash and jewellery after threatening the occupants. No-one was hurt. A fifth man was seen in a car outside.

Detective Sergeant Kerry Akehurst from Eastern CID said: “Incidents such as these are shocking because they are rare. We want to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to identify and find those involved.

“We do believe that these two reports may be linked and are following a number of lines of enquiry. We’ve already made significant progress in terms of our investigation, such as making an arrest in connection to the first report, but I’m still keen to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in either of these areas. Please contact us as soon as possible. Anyone with any concerns can speak to one of our uniformed officers patrolling these areas.”

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area around either burglary at the time of the offence, or with any other information which could assist our investigation, is asked to contact us quoting incident/crime reference number PR/45200073645 via

• Webchat on our website surrey.police.uk
• Online https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
• Calling us on 101

If you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.