A FURIOUS householder today blasted 'cheeky thieves' who dug up a set of flagstones from the front garden of her home.

Joanne Naylor, 27, of Mount Pleasant, Worsthorne, said the stones were taken while she and her boyfriend Jason Fenwick, 31, were at work.

The theft was discovered by her mum, who thought the couple were having work done on the garden of their home.

Joanne, a photographic technician, said: "It must have happened sometime between when Jason went to work and my mum went round to walk the dog. But nobody saw anything suspicious, even though it was broad daylight.

"You hear about thefts like this from houses but quite often they are empty or ones being repaired and it is not the sort of thing you expect in a place like Worsthorne."

Police are now investigating the theft, the latest in a series of similar offences in the Burnley area. Thieves have also taken stone flags from the war memorial in Towneley Park and cemeteries in the town.

Joanne went on: "We don't know exactly how much the stone flags were worth but apparently they are generally quite valuable.

"The police have been round to investigate and were very helpful. Hopefully they will be able to track down whoever has done this and we can get our flags back."

The set of six stones was taken between 9am and 1pm on Monday.

A police spokesman said they were investigating. Anyone with any information can call Burnley police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.