A widow has appealed to thieves to return a metal bench that was bought in memory of her late husband.

Janet Barton says she was in a state of disbelief when the groundsman of Rodmersham Cricket Club turned up on her doorstep and told her the black wrought iron seat had been taken from the grounds.

It is believed the culprits used a bolt cutter to cut through the metal ties to free the bench.

Tyre tracks on the field suggest it was then loaded into a car and driven away.

A head rest, possibly from the vehicle used during the theft, was found 50 metres away from the bench.

Friends and family paid for the seat, worth £350, after Mrs Barton's husband Alan died from a heart attack on June 30 2009. It was installed at the Bottle Lane-based club as he was a keen supporter of the village side.

The tearful 60-year-old, of Belmont Road, Sittingbourne, said: "I would appeal to the thieves to return it.

"They obviously don't realise what it means to those people who put it there. To them it's just a way of getting money.

"It's very upsetting. There's been so much publicity about metal thefts that I half suspected it might happen but I hoped it wouldn't.

"I do go up there. I keep score for the Colts' team and I'm on the committee. I often sit on the bench and have a little think.

"I've spoken to people living nearby and put up a photo and flyer in Rodmersham store window."

Mrs Barton had to break the news to her two sons - Paul, 30, and Neil, 28, who both live in London.

She said: "Paul happened to phone me because he was caught in the earthquake in Mexico that week so he called to say he was safe.

"I think because it's a physical thing rather than a person they were both quite philosophical and not too worried. They just didn't want me to be upset about it."

The theft was discovered by a dog walker between 9am and 10am last Tuesday.

It had been seen the previous day by the same person - meaning it must have been stolen sometime over night.

Anyone with any information about the theft is asked to call Kent police on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference number XY/8905/12.