A FAMILY'S dream move to a new life in Wales has turned into a nightmare after thieves stole everything they owned.

Stephen Walker, of Little Harwood, had loaded furniture, electrical goods and personal belongings into a removal van the night before he was due to join his wife Debbie and five children in their new home.

But thieves struck outside their rented home in Lilac Close, Blackburn, taking the 7.5-tonne Mercedes lorry, from Intack Van Hire.

The haul included everything the family owned, from a brand new £2,500 leather sofa to personal items such as passports, birth certificates and even the children's trophies for dancing and football.

Now the family have been left to rely on the generosity of neighbours in Blackburn and in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, as they try to rebuild their lives.

Stephen, a landscaper, said: "They've stolen 13 years of our lives. We'd accumulated so many things and now it's all gone.

"I can cope with the loss of the material things but some things, like the photographs of the children and videos of their christenings and birthdays are irreplaceable. All of the children's toys were on their too."

The theft happened around 1.30am on Saturday as Stephen was staying at neighbour and friend Debbi Dawson's house across the road because his bed was in the removal van.

The family are moving close to a house they have bought near his mother's.

He said: "I went outside for a cigarette about 1.15am and the van was there but when I went out again at 1.45am it had gone. My jaw hit the floor.

"I just shouted to Debbi 'you'll not believe this but the van's gone.'"

"I'm just pleading with everyone who was about at that time to jog their memories to see if they remember seeing a white Mercedes van."

Some of the personal belongings were dumped near an industrial unit in Kendal and Stephen was on his way up there today to see what could be salvaged.

He said: "The chap who found them said they'd all been damaged. I'll have to see what state they're in."

Because the items in the van were not covered by the hire company's insurance the family have been left to start again from scratch.

Stephen, whose five children Carla, 17, Danielle, 15, Kieron, 12, Connor, six, and Ebony, three, and Carla's partner Ian, are in Wales waiting for news, said: "Everyone down there has been brilliant. They've already been giving us furniture and washing machines and things like that. And people around here have rallied around to help us all they can.

Neighbour Debbi said: "It's just unimaginable what they're going through - they've lost absolutely everything, the things most people take for granted."

Insp Stuart Bruce of Blackburn Police said: "At the moment it is impossible to say what the value is of the property taken, but it is the contents of 15 years living in a house and a lot of the items have sentimental value."

He urged people to be on the lookout for the white Mercedes van, registration Y313 RTD and added: "It maybe that it is still in Blackburn, perhaps on an industrial estate.

"We would be delighted to hear from anyone who has been offered a job lot of household items."

Anyone with information should call PC Nicola Mason on 01254 51212.