Falmouth is in the grip of a crime wave engineered by a single group of juveniles, leaving one woman traumatised and others counting the cost of their losses.

Over the last few weeks, a huge number of houses and vehicles have been targeted in a series of distressing and costly break-ins, particularly in the town centre and Swanpool areas.

One such incident was a burglary at the home of a couple who had just returned from a business trip to Denmark. Shortly after returning, the house was broken into while they was sleeping and their Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV 2000 laptop was taken, along with an orange leather purse, Sony Ericsson 880I mobile phone, Danish Kroner currency, a quantity of Euro bank notes and a Stihl power washer. The woman has reportedly been left "traumatised" by the incident.

Detective sergeant Richard Cook, from Falmouth police station, said: "It's a violation of privacy. Through experience we know that burglaries where offenders have entered when someone has been on the premises asleep, it can effect members of the household - especially the women, to a greater extent. It traumatises the whole family. It is seen by them as a violation of their privacy and wellbeing."

Other items stolen from houses include a three-foot long, blue metal Injusa child's go-kart taken from an address in Tresillian Road, a grey BMX "We the people" bicycle, of the "daredevil" model, taken from a garage in Western Terrace, while gardening items were stolen - but later recovered - from the sheds and garages within Kimberley Park.

A garage was broken into on a lane to the back of Trevethan Road, after the electric door was prised open and search carried out by the offenders. The car inside the garage was also entered, although no items are thought to have been stolen. It is thought that the offenders used a Kawasaki motorcycle, which has been identified as one that was taken without consent from Trevethan Road, to arrive there. The bike was left abandoned in this lane, that links with Tresawna Terrace, and the ignition system and speedometer had been damaged.

A home was also broken into on Pennance Road, while the occupants were away, after the thieves smashed a ground-floor window to gain access and taken a number of items.

Homes are not the only places to be targeted, however. The Scout Hall on Langton Road was broken into and two, six-man green and brown tents taken. Entry was gained to the hall through the roof and as a result a "significant" amount of damage was caused.

Charities have also been hit, with money in a Marie Curie donation box stolen from the reception of the Falmouth and Penryn Adult Education Centre in Tregenver Road.

DS Cook said that the crimes had "predominantly" been caused by one group of juveniles who were known by the police.

"All patrols of police community support officers are aware of their backgrounds and their current movements and home addresses. We are monitoring them on a daily basis," he added.

DS Cook urged homeowners to make sure they had basic security in place and to be wary of leaving valuable items lying around.

He also stressed the need for people who had information about any of the crimes to come forward and contact police on 08452 777444 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

"It impacts on the community, impacts on the education of the children of the community and it's the community who suffers at the end of the day," he concluded.