A FAMILY hit by a £10,000 break-in at their home have condemned plans to slash Hampshire’s police budget by millions of pounds.

Burglars armed with a sledgehammer smashed their way into the house in Seymour Road, Ringwood, stealing duvets, tools and children’s toys.

Former UK motorcycle racer Nick De Courtney-Collis and his wife Jane returned to the property to be greeted by scenes of “carnage”.

There was an attempted break-in at the house two weeks previously and there have been at least three other burglaries in the same street.

Mr De Courtney-Collis criticised plans to axe Ringwood police station and transfer officers to Lyndhurst. He claimed that crime in the town was already rising and said it would only get worse if the police cuts continued.

“Officers are being asked to do their job with one arm tied behind their back,” he said.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Hampshire Constabulary is facing its biggest shake-up in decades. About 2,500 police officers, police staff investigators and PCSOs are being moved to other stations under plans to make budget cuts totalling £25m.

John Apter, chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, has voiced strong reservations over the plans.

The cuts have sparked fears that overstretched officers will be unable to provide effective policing, especially those based in huge rural areas.

Mr De Courtney-Collis said the break-in at his property occurred in the early hours of Saturday.

He added: “The front door was wide open and some of our personal belongings were strewn all over the driveway.

Defended “We had an attempted break-in two weeks ago and suffered a significant burglary at another house in Ringwood just over a year ago,” said Mr De Courtney-Collis. “One of our neighbours has had three break-ins.”

But New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne, pictured, denied that Ringwood was a crime hot spot and defended plans to shut the police station.

He said: “I believe it’s better to get the police out on patrol rather than spending money maintaining an expensive estate. It’s visible policing we need, rather than stations.”

Police officers attending a recent meeting of the town council said crime figures for the area continued to be “very low”.

Cllr Christine Ford, a former mayor of Ringwood, said: “We haven’t got a huge crime problem in Ringwood.

“I’m really sorry the police station is closing but there’s not an awful lot we can do about it in the current financial climate.”

Cllr Jeremy Heron added: “Of course I have concerns but I have to accept that organisations operating within strict budgets have to target resources where they’re most effective.”