POLICE are appealing for witnesses after burglars targeted a property in Bobbington, which was being renovated following a tragic house fire that killed Dudley hairdresser Colin Dunn.

The burglary took place at his Six Ashes Road home between 4pm on Thursday, March 9 and 9am on Monday, March 13.

The 72-year-old died on November 13 last year, following a garage fire, which is believed to have been started by a cigarette.

Christine Dunn, who had shared the property with her husband for 32 years, has been left “deeply distressed” by the burglary.

She had not yet been able to move back in due to renovations.

Thieves stole Sony and Samsung televisions and a Seiko watch with a brown leather strap and a gold face, which had sentimental value for Mrs Dunn as it was a gift.

PC Miles Dolan, of South Staffordshire Local Policing Team, said: “I have seen the impact first hand of this tragic incident, and the loss for Mrs Dunn.

“To have this burglary happen now has impacted on her to such an extent that she is now reconsidering moving back in.”

An inquest into Mr Dunn’s death, held at Cannock Coroners Court last week, was told that a subsequent fire investigation had revealed the likely cause of the fire was the "careless handling of smoking materials".

Mr Dunn had been smoking in the garage at around 5.30pm and around an hour later, noticed smoke coming into the kitchen via an extractor fan and returned to the garage to investigate, where he was overcome by the fire.

Despite rescue efforts, Mr Dunn, who ran Dunn's Hairdressing in Dudley town centre for many years before he retired in 2013, was declared dead at the scene.

Assistant Coroner for South Staffordshire, Margaret Jones, concluded that Mr Dunn’s death was due to ‘misadventure’, adding that the medical cause was due to carbon monoxide poisoning and conflagration - an extensive fire.

Anyone with information regarding the burglary is asked to contact PC Dolan at Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 194 of March 13.

Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.