Thieves steal £15k of jewellery in Wolverhampton raid

The pieces were stolen from an address in Craddock Street, Whitmore Reans, earlier this month. Police have now released images of some of the items as part of their appeal for information.

The jewellery is valued between £10,000 to £15,000 and is Asian gold.

Thieves made off with 15 rings, three necklaces, two bracelets and ankle bracelet and two watches.

Among the items taken are a distinctive ring adorned with black stones and diamonds and another delicate gold band with pink stones.

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Kate Baker, said: "There was a building company working on the property on a chimney and during that time that they were working, between October 6 and 16 the jewellery has gone missing from a bedroom.

"The woman reported it when she realised the items had gone."

Anyone with information should contact Wolverhampton CID on 101 quoting incident number 20WV/191166T/15.

Officers working as part of Operation Magpie, which monitors the activity around stolen property, are investigating the crime.

As part of the operation, police look to locate items that have been stolen that might be sold on.

Successful Operation Magpie schemes are running across the Black Country.

Police launched a crackdown last year after almost 20 thefts of Asian gold had been reported in two areas in the West Midlands in the space of a year.

The force highlighted the Blakenhall area of Wolverhampton as one of a number of communities across the county which has seen a rise in robberies of this type.

Last year the area saw 12 incidents in a 12 month period.

Undercover operations and targeted patrols were carried out after the thefts.

West Bromwich was also flagged up as a hotspot after seven thefts were recorded in the town centre in the same period.