A GRANDMOTHER who created a fairy garden for her granddaughter has been left distraught after thieves snatched ceramic ornaments while she was in hospital.

Maureen Carter, 53, is appealing for the small pot fairies to be returned so that two-year-old Libby can continue to play with them on her daily visits.

The grandmother had lovingly created Libby's secret' garden by hiding the ornaments amongst the plants in her garden.

Mrs Carter, of Fecitt Brow, Blackburn, said: "Libby doesn't have as much space to play out on where she lives so she really enjoys spending time in my garden. She liked to try and find the fairies.

"I had several plastic ducks as well and she would pretend to feed them bread. One of them had a sensor inside it which made it quack when someone walked past, so Libby thought it was a real duck."

Mrs Carter, who also has a seven-month-old grandson, Luke, was admitted to Royal Blackburn Hospital last week after a stroke.

When she returned home four days later she realised the ornaments had been taken from her garden.

"The last time I had seen the fairies they were under my front window so someone has obviously crept right up to the house and taken them," she said. "It is horrible that something like this should happen when I was lying in a hospital bed."

The thieves took three six-inch ceramic fairies with gauze wings, three plastic ducks and a pot snail with a blue shell.

Mrs Carter said: "You can't put a price on the happiness of children. Libby got a lot of pleasure from the fairies. Stealing them is disgraceful.

Police want anyone with information to call 01254 51212.