Darren Bent has two cars worth £160,000 stolen after burglars raided Aston Villa striker's home while he slept

Darren Bent has had stolen two top-of-the-range cars worth £160,000 after burglars raided his home while he slept.

The Aston Villa striker, who is currently on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion, was targeted by the thieves last Saturday night at his Little Aston property, near Sutton Cold field.

The burglars swiped keys to a high-spec Range Rover and a luxury Audi RS6, both worth around £80,000, before stealing them from the driveway.

Former England international Bent, signed by Villa for £18million in 2011, was shipped out on loan to Brighton last month. He has scored one goal in three games and had started for the struggling Championship side in their 1-0 defeat at home by Millwall the night before the burglary.

Staffordshire Police were called to the address at 3.15am and discovered locks on a uPVC window had been snapped.

Following an 'orderly' search, thieves had found car keys and driven off with the vehicles.

Despite his record-breaking move to the Midlands, Bent made only one start for Villa this season under manager Paul Lambert.Despite his record-breaking move to the Midlands, Bent made only one start for Villa this season under manager Paul Lambert.

Sergeant Richard Morris of Staffordshire Police said the break-in highlighted the pitfalls of cylinder locks on windows.

'Offenders have snapped the lock cylinder in two by applying force to the cylinder,' he said.

The method of 'lock snapping' is becoming more prevalent among thieves as it can be completed within a matter of seconds.

The crime caps a frustrating year for Bent, who has also played for Ipswich, Tottenham and Sunderland.

Bent said of his month-long stint at the Seagulls: 'I wasn't getting a lot of game time at Aston Villa and it doesn't bother me that I've had to drop down a division to play football.

'I've seen Brighton play and they play like a Premier League team. They play good football. That's why I wanted to come here and join them.' 

Bent's agent did not respond to a request for comment.