RARE eggs were stolen from the porch of a Hampshire bird lover - even though she was at home with her five Dobermans at the time.

Thieves targeted the home of Anne Mayhew, who rears birds as a hobby, and took a tray of six golden pheasant eggs from the porch.

Ms Mayhew, of Howe Close, New Milton, had been planning to sell or swap the eggs in a deal with fellow enthusiasts.

She said: "The porch door was slightly ajar because the eggs needed a flow of air to keep them in good condition.

"I came downstairs and discovered they'd been stolen, which left me feeling very upset.

"There isn't an awful lot the thieves can do with them unless they've got an incubator or a broody hen. They're difficult birds to rear."

Ms Mayhew confirmed that her three-storey home had been targeted on several previous occasions.

"I had a load of budgies stolen about ten years ago and several attempts have been made to break into my aviary," she said.

"I've increased security by installing two lights and a camera."

A police spokesman said the eggs, worth £120, were stolen last Tuesday between 6pm and 8pm.

She added: "A tray of six rare pheasant eggs was taken from inside a porch at the rear of the property, which is thought to have been entered via a back door."

Golden pheasants, which originated in China, lay eggs that are usually buff or cream-coloured.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: "The eggs stolen in New Milton are rare but only in that not many people keep golden pheasants in captivity.

"It's purely a criminal matter relating to the theft of property and not a conservation issue."