1920 Rolls-Royce stolen from hotel grounds

The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was mounted on a trailer in the hotel grounds

The owner of a 105-year-old Rolls-Royce said he was feeling "very low" after his treasured car was stolen shortly before he was due to set off on its latest European tour.

The 1920 Silver Ghost was secured on a trailer at a hotel near Grays, Essex, on Wednesday night ahead of it being taken to Tilbury Docks and on to Helsinki, Finland.

The car had vanished when Bryan Fitton went to check on it at 06:20 BST on Thursday.

"I'm obviously down; I'd had the car for more than 20 years and travelled all over Europe with it - it's part of the family," he said.

Fewer than 8,000 models of the Silver Ghost - named after its quietness - were manufactured by Rolls-Royce between 1907 and 1926.

Mr Fitton, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, had bought the car at auction and had worked on it for years before touring it around Europe.

For its latest jaunt it was to be among 26 pre-war Rolls Royces heading across Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Estonia as part of an annual event.

Mr Fitton said the car had been parked within sight of two security cameras at Orsett Hall Hotel, where he had stayed overnight.

Essex Police said it was investigating and urged anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or other footage to get in contact.