Thieves steal old sledge from bin

Mr Johnson has not had the courage to tell his brother about the theft

A sledge which has been in the same family for nearly 40 years has been stolen by thieves.

The wooden Triang sledge was taken from inside an empty compost bin in the Johnson family's garden in Ivybridge.

Laura Johnson, 39, said her daughter Lydia, nine, was distraught because the sledge had belonged to her uncle and father since they were little boys.

"To go out of their way to steal a child's sledge, they must be desperate," Mrs Johnson said.

Her husband, Malcolm, 46, said he has not yet plucked up the courage to tell his 48-year-old brother Ian the sledge had vanished.

"I'm sure he'll be okay, but he loves that sledge," he said.

"One year he spent Christmas Day sitting on the sledge in the sitting room watching TV and just waiting for snow.

"It hasn't really been properly used since 1982."

Mrs Johnson said she and Lydia have spent most of the day looking for the sledge.

"We trudged around Ivybridge all morning until we were frozen," she said.

"Lydia didn't want to come back without it. She's very upset because she knew it was her dad's and her uncle's."

Insp David Eldridge, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "It doesn't matter what's been taken - it's a theft and we would investigate."