Twitter probe launched after burglars target Rebecca Adlington's home

Athlete took to Twitter to announce her relief that medals were found

Retired Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington's home was broken into. Burglars took her fiance's car (Getty images)

Police are investigating if Rebecca Adlington has become the latest celebrity targeted by burglars after posting her whereabouts on Twitter.

On Monday night, the swimmer told her 333,000 followers of the agonising moment she thought her Olympic medals had been stolen in a break-in at her home in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The double Olympic champion described how she was “shaking” and “in absolute pieces” after believing the medals had been snatched.

A little later Adlington, 24, said she was “so relieved” her medals had been found. Just a few hours earlier she had tweeted a picture of herself enjoying an “amazing meal” with friends at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush, West London.

Greater Manchester police said they were looking into the possibility that thieves targeted Adlington’s home because they knew she was away in London. Her fiancé, swimmer Harry Needs, 20, is believed to have contacted police after arriving back at the property at 12.20am yesterday morning and finding it had been burgled.

Adlington’s two gold medals from the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and her two bronze medals from the London 2012 Games were eventually found, but a laptop and her fiancé’s Audi A3 are still missing.

A police spokesman said: “The side ground floor window of the house had been forced open. Enquiries are ongoing.” He added that the Twitter link would also be investigated .