The woman in her early 40s and the girl, 17, were asleep about 3am at the Skye Court property in West Wodonga when the woman was woken by a noise.

Detective Sen-Constable Ian Deverell said the woman shouted out to the intruder, but he ran away and took nothing.

The intruder apparently entered by a locked door, he said.

“The victims were very disturbed and upset by the whole thing,” he said.

“For a lot of people it takes a long time to get over something like this.

“It’s just a reminder to people to lock their doors in the area.

“The community’s a bit relaxed sometimes about doors being unlocked.”

He said people entering houses often targeted small items like wallets, keys and iPads.

Police were investigating the matter yesterday.

Anyone with information should phone Wod-onga police on (02) 6049 2600 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.