A shooting party have found a burglar’s loot.

South Hams police are searching for a homeless man after a substantial hoard of jewellery was found by a team of beaters during a Boxing Day shoot, in a field, called the point, near Galmpton. The homeless man is suspected of burglary of homes nearby. Over the Christmas period, four properties were broken into while their owners were away for Christmas.

A large amount of jewellery and personal items were recovered by police based in Dartmouth and shown to the Chronicle at temporary police HQ in Townstal. All the items have been identified as from the homes which were burgled.

The stolen jewellery and personal items were found in four bags in the undergrowth. This was near a collapsed tent in the field which was part of the property surrounding one of the burgled homes. Sgt Iain Simons, who is based in Dartmouth, was at the scene of the find on Friday, December 29.

He said: “The tent was collapsed and soaking wet. The bags containing the stolen items were in the undergrowth nearby. We were able to identify their contents as coming from the four properties that were burgled.

“We have not arrested the person who took the items. We have an idea who he is and he is not from here. We are interested in any report of a man, sleeping rough in the Galmpton area, who has disappeared. No description is available.

“Burglaries have a significant impact on householders who return after a family Christmas to find their house broken-into. The jewellery and personal effects stolen, came with personal and sentimental value. On this occasion, we were able to recover them and are pleased we were able to identify the property and return it.”

Any information should be sent to Sgt Iain Simons by email to: [email protected] or by calling 101 and quoting crime reference 112556.