Ellenbrook residents say the same thief is targeting their homes, knocking on doors first to ensure no one is home.

If someone does answer, the thief is then telling residents he is there to buy a phone cover from Gumtree.

At least three homes have been ransacked in the area - one burglary which was caught on camera.

In vision aired on 7 News, the male is seen swinging a garden rake and tomahawk towards two dogs in the backyard of one property before smashing his way into the front of the home.

“Money has been taken, bags, obviously he had to take the goods, about 20 bottles of alcohol and a very significant bracelet of my mother’s,” resident Bianca Macri said.

The thief ransacked drawers and jewellery boxes, but luckily left behind the ashes of her third dog.

Luckily the dogs were uninjured in the ordeal, but Bianca said they were “very skittish” following the attack.

Police are investigating the burglaries. So far no one has been charged.

Ellenbrook has made headlines for the wrong reasons, with residents speaking out last month against youths running riot in the suburb.

Two officers spent hours standing guard outside the Ellenbrook home of a nine-year-old in December after he allegedly went on a rampage, threatening nearby residents and his own grandmother.

Children as young as five have been caught on camera terrorising residents with police promising to work closely with agencies and the families involved.