Mother's fire ravaged home is broken into twice

A mother who lost her home in a fire says intruders have broken into the property twice since the blaze.

Lettisha Wyatt, from Shelfield in Walsall, has spent weeks trying to salvage what remains of her family's belongings after a fire broke out on 27 September.

No-one was injured in the fire, but the house, which she shared with her two daughters, was left uninhabitable.

The family's ordeal was worsened when the property was broken into the following day despite being boarded up, with neighbours alerting the family when they heard someone playing their piano.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault involving a heater, with a footstool catching light before spreading to the sofa Wyatt was sat on.

"It was just devastating," she said. "We're just taking each day as it comes, to be honest. We've tried to save as much as we can."

The damage was so severe the family had to leave the property, but have since had to deal with two instances in which people have broken into her home.

"I only found out because my neighbour phoned up [as] I've got a piano in the hallway, and they called to say that they could hear somebody on it," she said of the first instance.

"They've taken jewellery and perfumes [and] shoes randomly, even though they're all smoke damaged," Wyatt said.

"They'd broken vases and glasses out of the kitchen and smashed mirrors, which I think is really mean."

The home was broken into for a second time on Monday.

"The front door's been boarded up, but looters have broken the wood and got inside, and God knows how long they were in there for," she added.

Wyatt and her two daughters have been left facing an uncertain future as they attempt to salvage their remaining possessions, with a support page set up to help the family raising hundreds of pounds.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to save more from the house," she said.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said officers were carrying out enquiries into a burglary which is believed to have happened at around 00:20 BST on Tuesday morning.

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