A SHADOW on the stair alerted a north Swindon woman to the presence of an intruder in her home while brushing her teeth last week.

On the evening of Wednesday, September 30, the Abbey Meads woman was preparing for bed after switching off the lights and going upstairs when she heard a noise.

When she peered down the stairs into the darkness she saw a shadow, which suddenly moved.

She called out 'hello' into the darkness as she realised she had startled an intruder attempting to climb the stairs towards her.

"When I called out he must have ran off out of the front door, I was so shocked and shaken," said the woman, who lives in Gable Close.

"I was so relieved when the police came."

Police rushed to the property after the woman dialled 999, and were on the scene in minutes.

They scoured the property with the aid of a tracker dog, but could find no trace of the intruder.

Police said residents reported seeing someone try another door handle, which proved to be secure, at around 11pm.

The intruder, who found the woman's front door closed but unlocked, was wearing jeans and a dark-coloured hoodie.

A spokesman for North Swindon police said: "Just imagine that tonight you’re feeling drowsy so you switch off the lights and head upstairs for bed. Just as you’re cleaning your teeth you hear a strange noise. You peer down the stairs into the darkness and see a shadow, which suddenly moves. You call out ‘Hello?’ and then to your horror you realise you have startled a stranger who was creeping up the stairs towards you.

"This terrifying situation is exactly what happened to a lady in Abbey Meads, North Swindon last night, who ran into her bedroom and dialled 999. Her front door had been closed but unlocked, and the offender, dressed in jeans and a dark coloured hoodie, had tried the handle and let himself in.

"Officers were on the scene within minutes and a tracker dog was brought to the scene, but no trace of the would-be burglar was found. Residents at another house in the street also reported that they thought someone had tried their door handle at about 11pm, but it was secure.

"The lady, who is being supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Team to overcome her ordeal, has offered this advice to local people ‘Just get into the habit of locking the front door whenever you walk through it, not just at night but all the time’."

Anyone with information about this incident should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where details can be left anonymously.