A woman in the Wanganui suburb of Castlecliff is warning local residents to keep their appliances under lock and key after a brazen thief snuck in and stole everything out of her freezer while she was hanging out washing.
The fridge and freezer are directly opposite Mel Evans' door, which she left open as she went out to the line. Her 3-year-old daughter was in the lounge and her 7-month-old son was sleeping in his bedroom while the burglar rummaged through her freezer.
When Miss Evans came inside, the freezer door was open and emptied of its packs of frozen meat, including chicken drumsticks, steaks and schnitzel, as well as one of two loaves of bread.
"Nice of them to leave me the second," she said. "People are desperate - that's why I haven't bothered with the police."
She was unsure whether the person had been watching for her to leave the house, but said they must have known her partner wasn't home.