A MIDDLE aged couple say they have lost everything after thieves stole their newly purchased caravan from Wyke Down Caravan Park on Sunday night.

Ray and Gina Waterman were staying at the site for three weeks before moving with their brand new £17,000 caravan to take up a site warden post at a campsite near Dorchester but were away that night.

Now following the theft they are homeless, with no job to look forward to and have been forced to sleep one night in a hired car.

The caravan contained all our personal possessions, absolutely everything, including documents such as birth certificates as well as family photos which are impossible to replace, said 56-year-old Ray.

Now we are faced with trying to find somewhere to rent and a place to work but we are in a catch 22 situation because you need references for both and people are naturally suspicious if you have no fixed address.

The insurance will probably take one or two months to sort out.

It is bad enough when any caravan is stolen but when it is your home and contains all of your stuff it is very hard.

The theft took place in the early hours of Sunday morning as thieves broke through a locked gate, silenced an alarm and wrenched off a wheel clamp without disturbing anyone.

The offenders ripped an awning from the 26ft caravan during the theft and bounced a large car which had been parked very close to the wheelclamp to provide an additional degree of security.

Gina says the incident had put her off the idea of living in a caravan.

It is the second piece of bad luck since we bought the caravan as we had an accident on the way up here on the A303, said Gina.

The couple are now keen to stay in the Andover area as they have connections here and were married in the town in the 1970s.