Appeal after removal van with mother's ashes inside stolen

Linda Lye has had all her possessions stolen

More than £5,000 has been raised to help a woman whose possessions, including her mother's ashes, were stolen when her removal van was taken.

Linda Lye's belongings were taken in Bridgwater, Somerset, while she was moving house last week.

Her family said she was "devastated and broken", and the items were not covered by her insurance.

Her son, Andy, said Ms Lye was "desperate" after "everything of 68 years" was taken in the theft.

"All she has is the clothes she was wearing, her handbag and some plants," Mr Lye said.

"Wardrobes, TV, the bed can be replaced. It's everything else, all the sentimental personal items... that's the most heartbreaking."

Mr Lye said his mother, 68, was in the middle of moving house from Taunton to a retirement property in Bournemouth when the van was stolen, as the driver stopped briefly for a drink.

The family said their mother was devastated by the theft

He said that because the van was in between properties her house insurance did not cover the theft. and the removal company's contents insurance would not pay out because of the circumstances.

He added that after his grandmother Joyce's funeral in May, the family had decided to wait to scatter the ashes at Taunton crematorium.

"We obviously can't do that now. That's the thing that my mum just can't get over, and it's absolutely devastated her."

Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to an incident last Tuesday after a Ford Transit, registration KN60 BFP, had been left briefly unattended in Taunton Road, Bridgwater, near to the Londis store.

A spokesperson said officers were following up on information given by members of the public, and appealed for anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage to get in touch.

Some items including Ms Lye's passport, bank statements and family birth certificates that had been in a locked cabinet were found in a river near the village of Othery about 7 miles (10km) away, Mr Lye added.