A SERIOUSLY handicapped pensioner is distraught after callous thieves stole the showpiece of her floral display.

Valentine Sutton was recovering at home from a serious heart attack when the thieves struck. As she slept in her lounge in Nelson Terrace in the Luton area of Chatham, they used wireclippers to cut down the four-foot deep hanging basket from her porch.

Mrs Sutton said: "It was my pleasure to sit out there just looking at my flowers. They were absolutely magnificent. Now they are gone. How could they do it?"

The street was a blaze of colour, with most of the homes sporting potted displays of plants, and hanging baskets. "We all put ourselves out to make the street look pretty," said Mrs Sutton. Her son, Michael, watered the plants each morning, and neighbours did the same each evening.

There has been trouble for some time from yobs. One pensioner who died last week had recently remonstrated with one group seen e throwing stones at her home. Later the same day her home was pelted with eggs.

The problems are usually caused by teenagers who use the road as a short cut to a nearby park. They have also been seen using drugs, drinking and smoking in the road.

Police officers who went to see Mrs Sutton after the theft hope members of the public may be able to help catch the gang responsible. Anyone who knows what happened to the four-foot high basket of fuschias, pink and mauve single and double petunias, is asked to contact the police, or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.