Thank you for your reassuring suggestions Jos. I'm smiling a little, as I reckon the sight of me in my leggings would scare any prospective burglars away. But the dog might be an idea. However, my neighbours are very close and their son is a great big strapping lad (he's lovely, we're very fond of him) so I'm sure they'd come to my aid.
I could always persuade our two cats to wee on the burglar. He wouldn't like that one bit!