A 74-year-old tortoise who has been in the same family for almost 50 years has been stolen.

Shellie, a favourite with neighbourhood children and her owner’s grandchildren, was nabbed from Diana French’s garden in Rough Common, near Canterbury, on Thursday morning.

Mrs French, who has taken care of the Mediterranean tortoise for decades, says it's hard to believe she’s gone.

“I've looked after this lovely tortoise of 49 years. She was 25 when we got her so she’s now 74,” she says.

“We had the tortoise when our son was three because he was mad about tortoises – he’s now 52.

“It’s difficult to believe that she’s gone to be honest, because she's been here so long.”

Mrs French’s fence panels slide up and down and she thinks the thief eased one up before pinching Shellie from the back garden.

“It was a tortoise-proof garden. She's been in it 45 years,” the pet owner says.

“She can't climb out and she certainly can't push the fence up.

“We hadn't pushed the fence up, but someone obviously had and couldn't get it down again and just left half a metre up.

“They obviously ran off with her and she's quite heavy. We just wonder what on earth has happened to her.”

Although the mum-of-two would of course like Shellie back, she hopes wherever the tortoise is, she’s being looked after properly.

She says: “It's very sad and I just hate the thought of someone not knowing how to look after them.

“There are so many tortoises that die because people are really ignorant about how they hibernate them and all that sort of stuff.

“My grandchildren are visiting from Australia soon and were so excited to see her, but now I have to tell them that she’s gone.

“I would love whoever has her to please return her, but if that's not possible if she’s been sold, we just hope she's with someone who is knowledgeable about tortoises and understands hibernation.

“I hope they don't have them in the house because she would hate that – she’s a garden tortoise.”

The family was used to Shellie’s little quirks, such as her annual hibernation route.

Mrs French recalls: “She digs in the ground under her hedge every winter about October 25.

“She used to spend a couple of days digging and then eventually they go down at a slight angle.

“Her back legs and bottom are kind of quite well down and then she would stay there.

“We cover her with leaves and a box over the top so she doesn’t get any frost or anything. But then at about April 1 or April 2, when you cut the grass and the ground has warmed up, she would appear.

“It's just amazing. She did that every year and we thought she'd die every year she disappeared. So she’s a really tough lady.”

Mrs French has a missing tortoise sign on her fence and is offering a reward to anyone who returns Shellie home.

A police spokesperson said: “It was reported to Kent Police that between 7am on Wednesday, July 31 and 6am on Thursday, August 1, a fence panel had been moved in the garden of a property in Oaks Park, Canterbury, and a tortoise was missing.

“Anyone with information can contact Kent Police quoting 46/129955/24.”