A couple who saved a car from being crushed more than 30 years ago are appealing for information after it was stolen from outside their home.

Bob Tobin rescued the Ford Cortina after hearing a friend was planning to send it to a scrapyard. He has spent countless hours restoring it at his home in Conifer Drive, Lordswood.

The car, described as Mr Tobin’s pride and joy by his wife Tracy, was taken from their driveway on Saturday. It was the third Cortina to be stolen from across the Towns in 10 days.

Mrs Tobin, 55, said: “Bob does everything to it all by himself. We could paint it bright pink and he’d still know it was his.”

One of her neighbours saw the car being towed away at around 10.30pm on Saturday night. Mrs Tobin said: “It was being towed by a black car with blacked out windows. The windows of our car were down and the neighbour saw a man in his 30s wearing a dark grey hoodie. My husband is absolutely devastated. We just want our car back.”

Mrs Tobin said the car may have been seen in Duncan Road, Gillingham, earlier this week.

It has a matt black front grille, a slight dent in the near side rear door panel and the roof has some small rust spots. Anyone with any information should call police on 101, quoting XY/1147/16.

The first Cortina was taken from Martin Isitt’s home in Tobruk Way, Wayfield, Chatham, on New Year’s Eve. He returned home after celebrating the New Year with his daughter to find his rare red mark five Crusader gone.

He said: “I’ve spent the last three years working on her. It’s like I lost a part of me. I don’t want to drive a new car, I just want my car.” The car, which had no battery, was seen on the back of a pick-up truck.

A brown Cortina was taken from Monkwood Close, Rochester, between 11.30pm on January 1 and 4.30pm on January 2.

A police spokesman said: “Officers are not ruling out the possibility that the three reported incidents could be linked.”