A DEVASTATED family has spoken of their heartache after the ashes of a loved one were stolen during a house burglary.

Sisters Rebecca and Marie Wright said they were “sickened” to learn that their mother Clare’s ashes had been stolen during the burglary at their grandparent’s home in Darlington on September 2.

The burglars broke through a back door of the North Road home of Lenny and Angeline Wright - both of whom are in their late 70s - in broad daylight and stole sentimental jewellery, cash, watches and even Mr Wright’s blue mobility scooter.

But the final blow came on Wednesday when Mrs Wright learnt that a wooden box containing the ashes of her daughter, Clare Wright, who died of cancer aged 24, was also taken in the burglary.

She said: “It has been very traumatic.

“Maybe they thought it was a jewellery box, I don’t know.

“It’s so upsetting and I hate to think that they might have just put the box in the bin. she won’t know, she is in heaven, but it has been a comfort having it here.”

Marie, 31, explained that her mother, who died in 1993, was scared of being buried and did not want her ashes put in the garden in case Lenny and Angeline moved and "left her behind".

Video: BBC News

Marie was almost ten and her sister Rebecca was eight when their mother died and anything associated with her is priceless to them.

She said: “It was the only connection we had left to her, it is more important than anything else that has gone; that is my mum’s body, how can anybody take something like that?”

Rebecca, 29, added: “We lost her once and this is like losing her again.”

Their father Kevin Cavill described the situation as “horrifying” and Mrs Wright made an emotional plea to whoever took the box.

She said: “If they could just bring it back, they don’t need to make themselves known, just put it on the step or tell somebody to leave it somewhere and we will pick it up.

“We would like Clare back, it is no good to them, they can’t do anything with it but it means everything to us.”

Other items of value to the family that were stolen include Mr Wright’s signet ring bearing the initials of his father, LW, and a gold watch that belonged to Mrs Wright’s mother and bears her name ‘Florence’.

Mrs Wright praised the police’s response and anybody who has information about the whereabouts of the stolen items, or saw anything suspicious at the time of the burglary – between 2.50pm and 3.50pm – should contact officers on 101.