A CLEANER was tied up and gagged by robbers who ransacked a house before fleeing with £250,000 of cash and jewellery.

The crooks burst into the property in The Birches, Locksbottom, and pushed the terrified woman to the floor before storming around the house looking for a safe.

They pulled pictures off the walls, went through drawers and tried to destroy the hard disk of a computer which they believed was linked to home CCTV cameras.

Finding the safe was bolted to the ground they tore it out before carrying it away in what is believed to be a large silver van.

Homeowner Steve Sulley rushed back from Christmas shopping in Regent Street when one of his neighbours phoned him to tell him what had happened.

The 26-year-old said: "It was shocking.

"The neighbour said your cleaner has been tied up and three guys have gone through your house.

"I started feeling sick and nearly threw up."

His cleaner was taken to the police station where she gave a statement about the robbery.

Mr Sulley added: "The cleaner wasn’t attacked in the sense of cuts and bruises but she was pinned against the wall and had tape around her mouth.

"She was very shaken up and does not even want to answer the door after what has happened."

When he arrived back at his house on November 10 he discovered his girlfriend had not been in their home when the robbery took place, but had got back before him and was in a state of shock.

Mr Sulley says nine watches, worth around £210,000, were among the thieves’ quarter of a million pound haul, which included other items of jewellery, cash and credit cards.

Whoever targeted his house might have known about his love of watches.

The company director said: "I have a passion for watches and I have a good collection.

"People know I’m fairly successful at what I do and I have nice watches and a couple of nice cars."

CCTV images from Mr Sulley’s home have been released in an attempt to try and track down the robbers.

Anyone who recognises the people pictured should call Bromley police on 020 8284 8859 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.