A WOMAN has been left terrified after waking to find an intruder in her bedroom.
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The woman, who is aged in her late 40s, was the only occupant at home at the Derby Street address in Warrnambool.
Sergeant Dave McDonald, of Warrnambool police, said the woman woke to the sound of a person in her room about 3.20am.
“She thought it was her son and she yelled out his name but the person fled,” he said.
“He’s stolen some small items, just things he could carry.” Sergeant McDonald said the woman called police who conducted patrols of the area but were unable to locate the burglar.
He said the intruder appeared to have gained entry through a sliding glass door which may have been left unlocked.
The woman, who was not harmed, was unable to provide a description of the man to police.
Sergeant McDonald said it was a timely reminder for people to make sure they locked their doors, even if they were at home.
“We’re asking for witnesses who may have heard or seen anything in the area around that time to contact police.”
The criminal investigation unit is now investigating the aggravated burglary.
In Portland, emergency services responded after a dune buggy with four people on board crashed west of the city on Sunday.
A man was taken to hospital after the accident occurred at Swan Lake, a popular venue for off-road vehicles in the Discovery Bay Coastal Park.
Police, paramedics and the Heywood State Emergency Service were called to the site, off the Portland-Nelson Road, shortly before 6pm.
Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the buggy crashed down a 10-metre sand dune in an inaccessible area off Telegraph Road.
The 45-year-old driver sustained a badly-fractured arm, while three teenage passengers were uninjured.
An eight-wheel recreational vehicle was used to transfer the driver to a waiting ambulance, where he was treated and stabilised before being transported to Mount Gambier hospital.
The man was a member of the Portland Dune Buggy Club, which is based at the site.
Secretary Kerry Finck said members had been camping in the area over the Christmas-New Year holiday period.
She said everybody responded well, with one member having to find a position high on the dunes to get mobile telephone reception so emergency services could be notified.
“It was handled very well,” Ms Finck told The Standard.
The club has been operating in the area for 43 years, with strict rules applying to the type of vehicles.
“The club has an excellent working relationship with Parks Victoria, in particular local officers, and embraces the opportunity to assist with both the policing and ongoing maintenance of the Discovery Bay Coastal Park,” its website states.
“The park is a broad expanse of mobile sand dunes, interspersed with vegetation outcrops.”