A WIDOWER has hit out at the thieves who stole his wife’s memorial planter.

Michael Scully, 55, of Platt Close, Accrington, wanted to add flowers to a ‘huge’ planter that was donated in memory of his wife Pat, 47.

And a local PCSO has branded the thieves as ‘heartless’.

Mrs Scully, who lost her life to a severe kidney infection almost four years ago was ‘living on’ in the memorial garden.

And Mr Scully, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said he was ‘devastated’ when the planter was taken overnight on October 20.

He said: ”My wife loved to plant flowers in the garden and the first planter was put there in her memory.

“Thieves took it in the middle of the night and I was absolutely devastated.

“She died on October 26 and I wanted to mark the anniversary of her death by filling up the planter with flowers.” PCSO Paul Crossland said the thieves haven’t been caught yet.

He said: “We are still looking into the incident, and how the thieves took the planter, because it was extremely heavy. Two people were needed to carry it and a vehicle was probably required to remove it. Anyone that would do this kind of thing is just heartless.”

Eaves Brook Housing Association and the neigh-bourhood management team donated a second planter and Mr Scully in November.

And Melanie Martin, Neigh-bourhood Regeneration officer at Eaves Brook Housing Association said she had been left ‘disheartened’.

She said: “We were happy to donate a second planter to Mr Scully. But we were disgusted when the first one went missing. Hopefully now he will be able to enjoy his garden.”

Mr Scully added: ”I would like to thank Eaves Brook Housing and the neighbourhood team for donating a second planter.

"I have filled it with soil and stone and hopefully it won’t be taken again.

"I just wanted to do something positive to remember my wife and now I can.”