Elderly woman assaulted by raiders

An 87-year-old woman was assaulted and robbed by a gang which burst into her Co Down home as she slept early today.

The pensioner was the latest victim of an upsurge of crime in the Comber area.

She was in her bed in her house on the Belfast Road when three intruders entered the room at around 12.30am.

She was threatened and pushed around by one of the men before they stole cash and left.

The woman suffered no physical injuries during her ordeal but was left traumatised, said the Police Service.

A spokeswoman said they were not connecting the robbery to recent crime in the area.

Last Wednesday armed robbers tied up and robbed a family of four in their Comber home.

A couple in their 50s together with their children in their 20s were confronted by four masked men armed with hand guns who broke into their home on the Drumhirk Road.

Days before a man and his sister were dragged from their car by hijackers in the centre of the normally peaceful town. The man was assaulted and injured before the vehicle was taken.