The owners of a dog stolen from a van at Bluewater are now offering a reward.

Björn, a rare toy breed, went missing on Saturday afternoon after he was left in the vehicle which was in the car park outside John Lewis.

The two-year-old pooch usually goes everywhere with the couple who were travelling home from Kent to Essex.

They had left him in the van while they popped into the shopping centre in Greenhithe.

When they returned at around 3pm, a window had been smashed and Björn was gone.

A laptop was also missing and there was some damage to the van where the thieves had tried to cut their way into the back.

Björn's owners, Michael Fox and his girlfriend Johanna Kerwien, are desperate for help to get their beloved pet returned and are offering a finder's fee for any information which leads to getting him home.

Michael said: "It was daylight, in a busy shopping centre, I'm sure someone must have seen them trying to cut their way into my van."

Michael says Björn, a two-year-old Russian bolonka, is frightened of new people and wherever he is, he will be very scared.

Since being stolen on Saturday, there have had no reports of any sightings.

Michael added: "I have moments of hope and moment of no hope. I'm just very scared for him. He will be petrified."

Björn is brown in colour with lighter fur on his body and legs, and darker fur on his face, ears and tail. He is microchipped and was wearing a yellow coat when he was taken.

Police are investigating and a Facebook page has been set up to try to track him down.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dog Lost on 01633 673859 or Kent Police.

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