A TORTOISE which survived the blitz is one of two that have been stolen from a family's home.

The thieves struck at the home of Danny and Michelle Rice-Wilson at Chaney Court Farm, Chart Hill Road, Staplehurst.

The two tortoises were taken along with their hutch from the family's allotment. Mrs Rice- Wilson, a mother of three, said her children had been devastated by the theft of the pets which the family had had for about three years. They had been given to them by a friend.

The older tortoise is believed to have crawled out of house in Eltham which was badly damaged by Luftwaffe bombs during the Second World War.

Mrs Rice-Wilson, 39, said: "I felt sick that someone could come along and do this especially when one of them had survived the blitz."

She said that the two tortoises were kept in a run within the allotment and had a two-bay hutch in which they slept.

However, when Mrs Rice-Wilson's mother-in-law came out to feed them she found they had gone.

Mrs Rice-Wilson said: "The children are really upset. They used to follow us around when we were in the allotment."

The older tortoise has a number of drill marks at the back of its shell, thought to have been used to tether him earlier in his life.

Anyone who knows anything about the theft or the whereabouts of the tortoises is asked to contact Maidstone police on 01622 690055.