THIEVES stole more than £5,000 worth of jewellery and designer watches during a break in to a house in Musselburgh.

Police are appealing for witnesses after thieves force their way into the house on Eskside East between 2.30pm and 5pm on Wednesday.

An attempted break-in to another home on the other side of the river on Eskside West during the same afternoon may also be linked to the incident.

Officers said the thieves made off with valuable items including a Lace diamond necklace, Mont Blanc watch and Michael Kors watch.

Constable Mark Asquith from the Community Investigation Unit in Musselburgh said: "Given the proximity of both homes, we are looking at whether the same suspects are responsible and we would urge anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity in either area on Wednesday afternoon to contact police immediately.

"We will be liaising with second-hand retailers to see if anyone tries to sell on these stolen items, however, should members of the public be approached and asked to buy jewellery matching these, then please get in touch."

Anyone with information can contact the CIU via 101 and quote incident number 3138 of the 27th June (Eskside East) or 3052 of the 27th June (Eskside West). Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 11