The owner of a modified sports car stolen from outside her home after a break in while she and her family slept is appealing for help to find it.

Angie Delport says her white pearlescent Ford Focus ST was taken overnight from Ufton Lane, Sittingbourne, between yesterday and today.

A reward of £1,000 is now being offered for any information leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

“We were all in bed by around 11.30pm and all the doors were locked,” she said. “My daughter woke up around 6am and discovered both front and back doors open.

“My husband’s van keys and my car keys had gone and my car was nowhere to be seen. We didn’t hear a thing.

“They came in, got the keys and left. It’s a bit scary when people come in your house when you are sleeping.

“It’s a shock to know that someone can come and invade your space and take stuff that belongs to you.”

Mrs Delport, 42, who is married to Darren, 37, an engineer, said she bought the car after her previous vehicle was written off when someone drove into the back of it on the A249 in February last year.

“I took whatever insurance money I got and invested it in the Ford Focus ST. It’s a little sports car that we wanted to continue doing up.

“A lot of time, money and effort went into it. It’s not just something you can pick up, this one’s unique. It’s priceless to me.”

As well as it’s pearlescent paintwork, the high-performance version of the Ford has a sunroof, tinted rear windows, gold custom-made brake calipers and black wheel rims.

Mum-of-two Mrs Delport, a self-employed hairdresser, who paid about £16,000 for it in May last year, added: “The thing is, it didn’t have a lot of petrol in it, only about 35 miles worth. So somewhere, they would’ve had to fill up.”

An appeal has been made via social media to help spread the word about the theft and CCTV is being tracked down. “The only thing I want back is the car,” said Mrs Delport.

Police are investigating and anyone who can help should call 101, quoting crime reference XY/007110/16.