A central Watford couple are still "frightened" to go to sleep at night after an intruder snuck into their house and made himself at home in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Craig Toms was asleep downstairs with his girlfriend, Rebecca Tetley, when the pair was woken by an alarm after someone crept through an open window in their Church Road home.

Ms Tetley, 27, saw the intruder’s reflection in a mirror when she awoke at about 4am.

After Mr Toms, 29, confronted the intruder, the man ran off and the police were called.

However Mr Toms said the young couple are still scared following Saturday’s events and said they feel that officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary did not do enough to punish the trespasser.

The gas engineer said: "Someone climbed in through the window and you can’t see that window from my street because of the bush outside. 

"We had a rat infestation in our house and pest control killed them all but it still smelled, which is why we keep it open. 

"My girlfriend saw him in the mirror. It’s lucky that we have an alarm. When I confronted him he said that someone had let him in. He’d taken his shoes off and was in the bathroom.

"It’s scary. We are a young couple. It’s really bad. He tip toed around while we were sleeping. My girlfriend is still scared."

Mr Toms said he is worried about those elderly and vulnerable people living in the area who will be unaware that this happened.

He added: "Me and my girlfriend are safe now but the police said they didn’t do anything. The fact that they let him go doesn’t sit well with me. 

"I want something to be done about it. We are still frightened and it still doesn’t sit right. My girlfriend is still in bits."

Chief Inspector for Watford, Dave Wheatley said: "We are fully aware of this incident. The residents have been consulted about what happened and my officers’ actions have been explained to them.

"Officers were dispatched immediately and arrived within minutes of the call to our force communications room. Having conducted an immediate search of the area, they found a man matching the description given at Watford Junction station. 

"The man was in a very confused state. It appears he had climbed through an open window, taken off his shoes and was finding shelter.

"No items were reported to have been stolen and no property was found on him. There was no evidence to suggest the man gained access to the property to commit a burglary.  

"The residents were spoken to at the time of the incident and again the following day and were happy with this course of action. I am satisfied that we have acted accordingly based on the evidence presented to us and in consultation with the residents."