Just as little Ruby Young’s family were beginning to hope their lives could return to normal, heartless thieves have stolen her father’s work tools.

Overnight, Rob Young’s van was broken into in Monmouth Close, Rainham and thousands of pounds worth of equipment was stolen.

Before Ruby was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer, her parents had set up their own company and spent money buying the tools.

And after good news about the three-year-old's condition, Rob, who has worked as an air conditioning refrigeration engineer since he was a teenager, was looking to go back to work.

Mum Vikki said: “He went outside this morning and everything was open. I don’t know how they did it but they have opened all the central locking and taken all of Rob’s tools.

“It’s just been sat there for ages as he hasn’t been able to work as we've been focused on getting Ruby better. Yesterday he got a job application but he won’t be able to do a job without any tools.

“I've been told three other vehicles got broken into within a half mile radius of our house last night. Someone’s been on a rampage ruining people’s property. We are absolutely gutted. What sort of person does this?”

She added: “We just really wanted to get back on our feet and put the whole thing behind us. She’s still got a small residual mass after that we can just get our lives back.”

She has now finished treatment and will be getting a date for an operation to remove the final small lump in the next few weeks, and after that she will be in remission.

The three-year-old has also started going to nursery and joined her brother Freddy at Thames View school in Rainham.

Vikki added: “She’s like a different child, she has loads of energy, she’s running around and she’s feeling amazing. She’s got loads of friends at school now and gets involved with everything.”