Two women were woken by a man standing in their room on the night the same thing happened to a young girl.

The 13-year-old girl woke up to find a man standing in her bedroom at around 6.30am on Friday in small village in Dumfries and Galloway.

The man fled the house after the girl alerted her parents in Bridge of Dee, near Castle Douglas.

A 63-year-old woman and 35-year-old woman were also woken up in their rooms in Twynholm and Kirkcowan.

Officers believe the incidents are linked to a spate of thefts and break-ins in the area on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Six houses and car in the Bridge Road and Greenhall Road area, in Bridge of Dee, were entered overnight.

Cash and jewellery were taken in some cases, whilst in others, nothing was taken. In three of these incidents, the intruder was disturbed whilst actually in the house, in bedrooms where people were sleeping.

A house in Arden Road in Twynholm was targeted in an attempted break-in and a hat and jacket were stolen from a Suzuki Vitara car.

Two houses in Main Street, Kirkcowan and the village hall was entered overnight and a quantity of cash stolen.

Detective constable Andrew Santangelli said: "This is a very large number of crimes to have happened in the one night and clearly they may well all be linked.

"We have been carrying out door to door enquiries in all the areas and are currently examining CCTV footage which covers some of the areas.

"We really need the help of the public to help us catch those responsible for what are quite disturbing crimes."

He continued: "The fact that those committing these crimes chose to enter houses where people were asleep in their beds is very unusual for our area.

"One concerning aspect is that of all twelve crimes, only one needed force to overcome the security of the house or vehicle.

"In the others, it seems that doors and windows may have been insecure."

Mr Santangelli added: "We would ask that everyone thinks hard about any strange activity or suspicious incidents that they might not have thought about before on the Thursday evening or early Friday morning.

"It doesn't matter how insignificant this might seem, we are keen to hear about it so we can assess whether or not it might be of assistance to the investigation.

"Anyone who wishes to help should call us on the 101 number."