An owner has been left heartbroken after his £200,000 classic car was stolen from outside a hotel.

Roger Oates, 72, who had lovingly restored the vehicle over 12 years, lost it when it was taken in Dover. It was spotted several times in Folkestone that night.

But the 1962 dark blue E-Type Jaguar is still missing.

Mr Oates friend Nigel Breese, who had been with him at the time of the theft, said: “Roger is obviously devastated. It took him 12 years to restore it and was finished in time for his 70th birthday. So he only had it on the road for a couple of years.”

The car, registration number 827 DXD, is an early series 1 model.

It was taken from the car park of the Premier Inn at Marine Parade on Tuesday. CCTV filmed it being driven away at 8.07pm.

The theft was publicised straight away on Facebook and a combination of alerts from users and CCTV showed sightings of it at Folkestone town centre an hour later.

It was also seen parked at the town’s Dallas Brett Crescent at about 11pm and then being driven towards Hawkinge.

The car had been in Dover as Mr Oates and Mr Breese and their wives were staying the night in the town on their way to their homes in the Midlands.

They were on their way back from attending a classic car rally at Angoulême near Bordeaux, France.

Mr Oates had travelled in the car with his wife Rita.

Mr Breese, 47, was in a 1958 Jaguar XK150 with his wife Alison.

But that is only a two seater, so a hire car was needed to take the Oates home.

The Oates live in the village of Thorney in Notthinghamshire and the Breeses live in Lincoln City.

Anyone with information about this case should contact Kent Police on 01843 222289 quoting reference number ZY/0033496/16.