TWO men wearing masks threatened a 75-year-old man inside his house before stealing a Rolex watch worth “thousands of pounds”.

The men got into the property on Firsgrove Crescent, Warley, on Sunday, May 25, at about 5.40am through an insecure back door.

After threatening the man, they made off with the Rolex, another watch and cash.

Dc Patrick Snape of Brentwood CID said: "The victim disturbed the intruders who were inside his home. They threatened him before making off with the watches and the money.

“The man was not injured but was left shaken up after the incident. I would like to appeal to the community for information. It happened very early in the morning so if anybody saw anything out of the ordinary I’m sure they would remember it.”

The two men are both described as white, aged around 20-30, and both wearing masks. One was wearing a black balaclava with a navy blue jacket with white stripes and a hood, black trousers and grey trainers.

The other was wearing a black balaclava, a navy blue top, black bottoms and white trainers. They both had local accents.

Anyone that can help with any information is asked to contact Dc Patrick Snape on Essex Police 101 or they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.