A Surbiton couple are hoping bad luck only comes in threes after their holiday luggage was sent to the wrong continent, their house was flooded and burglars broke into their home, all in the space of three weeks.

Ita and Marc Dumbleton set off to visit Marc's parents in New Zealand on December 28. The 26-hour journey was broken up by a stop in Kuala Lumpar, which was where Mrs Dumbleton, 33, and her luggage parted company. As they touched down in New Zealand on December 30 her suitcases were arriving in Kuching, Malaysia, almost 5,000 miles away.

Mrs Dumbleton said: "It was pretty difficult, I had to buy loads of things from the moment we arrived. I had no contact lenses, nothing. It was a disastrous beginning to our visit."

Luckily, Mrs Dumbleton, a graphics supervisor, remembered her prescription and bought new lenses. After a week her suitcases were returned to her.

Two days later the Dumbletons were contacted by their family in England and told their house, in Chiltern Drive, was flooded leaving thousands of pounds worth of damage.

"It was a heating pipe that had burst with the very cold weather. The water had spread through into the woodwork and straight downstairs. Our bedroom was like a pond. The whole downstairs has been ruined," she said.

Then when the unlucky couple arrived home last week they noticed their DVD player and CDs were missing and their wardrobe doors left open.

Between Saturday, January 18, when the house was last checked by relatives and Tuesday, January 21, when the couple returned, their home had been burgled. Mrs Dumbleton thinks it may even have happened on Sunday, January 19 her birthday.

Among the items stolen was irreplaceable jewellery, a gift from her godfather who died two years ago.

She said she had a cynical view of life at the moment but was looking forward to everything getting back to normal.

She added: "Everyone said the only way is up, but I thought after the floods that is the worst it can get'."

Mrs Dumbleton's friends said her luck must change. She said: "Everyone says you are going to win the lottery,' but I'm not so sure."

Mrs Dumbleton's father Eric Burt said: "Talk about bad luck running in threes, what a hat trick."

Kingston Police are examining forensic evidence from the house.

January 30, 2003 10:00