‘It’s not the monetary value, is that fact I can never get them back’

A woman was left devastated after thieves struck in broad daylight and stole irreplaceable flowers planted in memory of her mum.

Emma Ibbeson said she left her Beauvale Close home on Sunday morning and returned to find the culprits had ransacked her garden and taken several planters – including a memorial rose that was later found dumped in a hedge.

Among the stolen items was a rosemary bush grown from a sprig of her mum’s funeral spray, which Emma said was priceless in terms of sentimental value and can never be replaced.

Emma said: “It’s not so much they stole the planters, it’s more what was in them. We went out at about 10am and came back at 4pm and the planters were gone. The rose we planted in mum’s memory was in a beautiful pot - they took that and the rose was dumped in the hedge.

“There was a rosemary bush for remembrance that came off her family wreath. It’s not the monetary value, it’s the fact that I can never get that back now and that is what’s upsetting. I know it’s only a rosemary bush, but it was from my mum’s wreath.

“The planters were out the front of the house so they must have known there was no one there and helped themselves. It’s just stupid – why would anyone steal from other people? I was very upset.

“They would have had to walk down a 20-yard driveway so they must have made a couple of trips. We have not got a clue who it is. If it was on a road side, it could have been opportunistic thieves, but they would have had to spend 15 minutes to take that much away. One of the other pots only had strawberries in, but they took them as well.

“Nothing is going to bring back the memories.”