Barbara Sims was targeted earlier this month when a man hit the Tingira St home just before 10pm.

“I was more shocked to see someone standing up with a spade ready to strike,” she said.

“He was actually standing inside my door, on the step to come in.”

Mrs Sims was watching television on the weekday night when she heard a few noises.

She got up to investigate but when she heard a voice, Mrs Sims knew something wasn’t right.

“I heard him say ‘where’s the wallet, where’s the wallet’,” she recalled hearing the male voice, immediately thinking her grandson had returned after leaving something behind.

But instead, Mrs Sims was confronted by a dark figure standing over her at the front door. She tried to  back into the dark room to call police.

“He said ‘I want some money’, and I said ‘I haven’t got any money,” Mrs Sims said as she tried to dial for help.

“He fell back, he went crash, and I don’t know if he knocked the screen door off then or before, and I rang the police and he ran off.”

In the midst of the break-in, the offender broke Mrs Sims’ security camera, as well as rifling through some items from the bathroom, where he entered, which were scattered through the yard.

After alerting neighbours, Mrs Sims said a similar incident frightened a lady next door about a month ago, while another local resident was hit the road earlier too.

But she’s been quick to praise the police response which saw officers scouring the area within minutes.

“Every time I looked up there was another car here, police were everywhere,” she said.

“They were very good and they came back to check on me later.

“When we realised he jumped the fence, they went around there, it was very good.”

There has been no arrest yet, and the brief altercation was frightening, but Mrs Sims is determined not to let it get to her.

“I think it was just for the drugs, but he never got anything out of me,” she said.

“My pension doesn’t go far enough as it is to be giving it away.”

Police confirmed they are investigating the incident and are following a number of strong leads in the hunt for the offender.