Burglars compound flood heartache

By JAMES GARDINER

Driven out of her home by floodwaters and mud 15cm deep on Monday, Ros Davies' heartbreak was compounded when burglars took advantage of her absence.

"I couldn't believe it," Mrs Davies said yesterday. "I could live with the flood but I didn't cope with that. It's just so gross, really awful."

The burglars, thought to be two teenagers that Mrs Davies' daughter saw at the back of the house on the night she was evacuated, "went through everything" and stole a gold watch, a dozen bottles of wine and her camera.

She said when her daughter confronted the teenagers they claimed to be looking for a lost ball.

Mrs Davies was also disappointed the Manawatu District Council had not considered allowing people to dump their rubbish for free.

She had to pay $75 to dispose of a truckload of sodden carpets, wallpaper and other damaged property.

When told of the burglary, Prime Minister Helen Clark said: "When the rest of the country is rallying around and trying to help, for some lowlife to go and do something like that is despicable."