A GANG of burglars stopped off at McDonald’s and Tesco after stealing cars and raiding homes.

About a dozen men toured around two Colchester estates during a targeted crime spree.

Yesterday, the Gazette ran an appeal for information after a senior nurse woke to find burglars had got into her house and stolen her car.

Today, the Gazette can report another family had two cars stolen by the same group who also stole a wallet and used a stolen card to pay for their shopping trips to McDonald’s and Tesco.

It is understood the organised gang arrived in two or three cars but left with several more.

Victim Ausra Linauske said: “We were asleep and in the morning my husband went to go to work but could not find his keys.

“We opened the front door and both cars were gone.”

The gang took a silver Mercedes ML and a silver Vauxhall Signum Club from the front of the home in Wall Mews, on The Quarters estate in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Mrs Linauske, 27, and her 31-year-old husband Linas, a garage owner in Clacton, were furious.

She said: “We were so shocked. There was a wallet in one of the cars and they drove towards Clacton and stopped at Weeley.

“They robbed a whole estate and then went to McDonald’s.

“It is so upsetting to know they have been in our house.”

The couple logged onto their internet banking to cancel the cards when they saw the cars had gone and saw the transactions then.

The burglary has been reported to Essex Police and details of the venues visited also reported to see if CCTV is available.

The gang were operating around the Solus and Quarters estates in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Ward member Dave Harris has requested a meeting with Colchester’s district commander Chief Insp Elliott Judge to see about extra patrols or find out what more residents can do to stop the estates being targeted, Anyone with information about any of the crimes during the spree call Colchester CID on 101.