A SINGLE mother striving to keep her severely handicapped baby safe suffered a set back last week when thieves broke into her new bungalow.

When Jo Tume, 31, visited her home in Sevenoaks Way, St Pauls Cray she found thieves and stolen a closed circuit camera.

The house is currently being adapted so the family can move in later this year after the News Shopper put out an appeal to help the family raise money to buy Alexandras special bed.

Four-year-old Alexandra suffers from cerebal and bulbar palsy, has no swallow or gag-reflex and needs constant supervision to stop her choking to death.

The £350 closed circuit TV camera allowed Miss Tume to watch her daughter while not in the room.

Full-time carer Miss Tume said: They are scumbags. They even took her toys. I dont know how I am going to replace them.

The special school behind my house Rectory Paddock is always getting broken into. I dont know how they can do it.

Ms Tume is preparing the bungalow in Sevenoaks Way so she and Alexandra can move in after the summer.

It seems like it is always one step forward and three steps back. I am trying to make the house liveable for us to move into in the summer. We have to convert the house specially to accommodate her in a wheel chair.

It will cost about £16,000 and this week the council turned me down for a renovation grant. It is hard but Alexandra is so beautiful. I do it for her.

The tireless mother will live with her parents until the bungalow is ready for her and Alexandra to move into.

Police say sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning on January 21-22 thieves climbed over Rectory Paddock School fence to get to the bungalow.

If you have any information about the burglary call the police on 0208 284 8048 or anonymously on 0800 555 111.