Plea for return of £800 worth of stolen games

The games are used at a board game convention called Handy Con in Milton Keynes

A designer has made a plea for thieves to return £800 worth of board games that were stolen from his car.

After playing a game of five-a-side football at Venue 360, Luton, Paul Harris returned to his vehicle parked on Gipsy Lane to find the boot open and a crate and a large holdall full of games missing.

He stressed that the sentimental value outweighs anything the games could be worth. One of the games was the first he has been credited on as a game designer.

"Some people have politely pointed out to me that I probably shouldn't have kept them in the car, they're absolutely right, but it's not something you imagine people are going to target: board games," he said.

The games are used four times a year at a board game event called Handy Con which takes place in Milton Keynes.

Each box has an orange and black sticker with the name of the event stuck in the corner.

The designer admitted the games may not be familiar to most people unless they have a special interest in the hobby.

They include titles such as Civolution, Shackleton Base and the new Lord of the Rings game.

The 43-year-old said he will have to pay to replace the games as some are "very popular" among the 450 regular attendees of his Handy Con event.

Paul Harris has said the games have sentimental value

He added: "One of the games that went was one of the first games that I bought my now wife when we met, that's got a lot of sentimental history between us.

"I got home on Monday night and I was a little bit frustrated... The problem was there's no CCTV in the car park, no witness, there's very little the police can do with the best will in the world."

Bedfordshire Police confirmed its investigation is ongoing.