A woman has been left heartbroken after “barbaric” thieves broke in before slaughtering five lambs.

Valerie Howells said the incident has been “devastating” and is appealing to members of the public to help her bring those responsible to justice.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday morning when CCTV footage showed two men on the land between 3.30am and 4am in Trenders Avenue, Rayleigh.

Valerie said: “I woke up on Saturday morning and thought it was strange the sheep weren’t out shouting for their breakfast like normal. I thought maybe it was because of the weather and didn’t really think much about it.

“I went up there about 8.30am and then thought it was strange they weren’t coming out. Then I realised they had been shut in their shelter which I know I didn’t do and I got that awful feeling something terrible had happened.”

This isn’t the first time thieves have targeted Valerie’s home and stolen lambs. Around the same time last year, men could be seen breaking in and making off with one lamb.

Valerie, 61, added: “I saw the four ewes and then realised there were only four lambs instead of nine and I immediately realised they had been in and I started looking round.”

After the incident last year, Valerie invested heavily in security and noticed some of the CCTV cameras had been turned.

She said: “I went into a bit of a meltdown then got my breath back and headed to the main field and as I walked in I was faced with piles of congealed blood and you could see drag marks in the blood on the ground. It was obvious they had slaughtered them before removing them because they wouldn’t have gone quietly.

“I lost the plot - those lambs were beautiful and I was hoping to show them this year because they are a pedigree breed. It’s just barbaric - whatever your views, these people have burgled my property and violated my privacy.

“I’m incredibly upset but I’m also angry. Those lambs would have died slowly and in pain which is why it’s illegal to kill them like that in this country.

“I just want to jog people’s memories because somebody must have seen something. They must have had a van in Trenders Avenue. All we need is a registration so the police have something to go off.”

Police are now investigating and urging anyone with information to get in touch.

A spokesman said: “We received a report of the theft and slaughter of five lambs after access was gained to an address during the early hours of Saturday morning, April 27.

“Anyone who witnessed any suspicious behaviour or unfamiliar vehicles in the area around the time, are asked to contact Rayleigh local policing team on 101, quoting crime reference number 42/65819/19 or contact Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.”