A pensioner is appealing for help to find a treasured garden ornament after it was stolen from outside the front of his home.

Maurice Hartigan, of Bellflower Avenue, Minster, woke to discover his 3ft white wooden windmill had been taken.

The model had been given to Mr Hartigan and his wife, Karen, as a present about seven years ago.

Mr Hartigan, 74, said: "It's a beautiful windmill that was made for us by someone who has since died.

"He was a retired removal man in Norwich and I was a retired removal man in Croydon at the time. He only made two of them and we had one."

The father-of-one added: "Quite often lots of people would stand and watch it spinning if they were walking past.

"It's just lovely to look at and we were very proud of it.

"I can't believe people could be so cruel and just take it."

Mr Hartigan said the windmill was bolted to a slab and had been in the front garden for four years.

"How they managed to take it, I don't know. It was actually bolted through the slab," he said.

"Karen and I moved down to Sheppey from Croydon almost four years ago and it's been there all that time.

"We've not had any problems here at all, apart from this."

Mr Hartigan is now appealing for people to help him find his windmill.

"It is of no value to anyone else, but it means a lot to us and we just want it back", he said.

"If, whoever took it, could just dump it back in the garden or something, or if anyone knows who might have it, we'd really appreciate it if you could help us get it back."

Police are investigating. The thieves struck sometime between 11pm on Monday, November 13 and 6am the next day.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting crime reference XY/060247/17.