THIEVES have stole precious photographs and irreplaceable birth and death certificates of loved ones from a Hampshire grandmother.

The priceless documents which Sylvia Dart had spent years trying to find were taken when raiders broke into her car and stole a holdall.

The 70-year-old was excited when her cousin Pat Taplin, in Durley, called her to say she had a bag full of old family documents and photographs that Sylvia could rummage through.

Having spent the past two years digging for any information about her family tree, Sylvia's quest had become quite expensive so having these items within the family was a real treasure chest.

But when she went to visit her daughter, Hazel Hibberd, in Lynn Close, West End, on her way home, her car window was smashed in and the bag of priceless treasures stolen.

Sylvia said: "What is so awful about it is that I hadn't even had a chance to look through it all. I have spent years trying to find gems like those in the bag and we were all so excited to get our hands on them.

"The whole thing really shook me up and although these pieces are worth nothing to anyone else, to me and my family they are priceless and irreplaceable.

"There are photographs, birth and death certificates of my close relatives and building plans and receipts for our family homes, all of which have been in our family for years. I feel terrible.

"We have already found a few pieces and the bag that the thieves had just thrown away in hedges, so if anyone has found anything similar, I would love to here from them."

If you have found any of the items which could belong to Sylvia and her family, e-mail her at syldar1@tiscali.co.uk.