A bungling prowler caught on CCTV scoping out a home in Edinburgh in the middle of the night left his toolbox behind at the scene.
The creep was filmed lurking around the property on Rannoch Place at around 4.30am on Tuesday morning.
Melissa Shields, 23, said she and her family have been left “unsettled” by the incident.
In the clip, the man dressed in a dark hoodie and shorts can be seen pulling into the street in a white van.
He jumps out with the toolbox in hand and sets it down outside Melissa’s gate.
He stands back and appears to be assessing the doorway.
The would-be housebreaker then uses the box as a step to peer over the top of her gate and into the private property.
He starts to force the door by pulling it away from the frame.
However, he is unsuccessful and hastily exits the scene - but leaves behind his toolbox.
Although no physical damage was done, Melissa and her family have been shaken by the footage.
“My dad tried to exit out the side gate in the morning to go to the car and couldn’t open the side gate as the toolbox the guy had left was blocking him from opening the gate,” she explained.
“So we checked the CCTV to see who left the toolbox as we weren’t sure how it appeared there and that’s when we saw the videos.
“He tried to pull at the padlocks, but didn’t manage to get them off and then left in a hurry forgetting his toolbox at the side of the house.
“My parents are confused and quite nervous.
“They’re unsettled and nervous to go to sleep.”
Melissa says she handed over the footage and toolbox to police, but is urging anyone with information to come forward.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "On Tuesday, 16 March, we received a report that a person had attempted to enter the curtilage of a property on Rannoch Place, Edinburgh, around 4.15am that morning.
"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing."
