A mother from Radcliffe has been left devastated after thieves repeatedly stole teddies left behind on her daughter's grave.

In the last month, vandals have stolen three teddies left at the grave of Samantha Ahearn at Ashcroft Crematorium left by her mother, Lynn McGoff and sister, Alice.

Lynn noticed that the cemetery had been vandalised and that teddies of some of Samantha's favourite Disney characters, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet had been taken, despite her tying them to the gravestone with wool.

Samantha suffered a series of six epileptic seizures after her 19th birthday, with the final one resulting in her tragic death 12 years ago after graduating from Bury College.

Lynn said: "I am just angry, devastated, sick to my stomach and I'm still in a state of pure shock and I would want to ask these people how would they feel if they were us, if this had happened to their parents?

"Its hard for me to find the words to describe how I feel and I certainly would not wish this kind of pain on anyone, especially a parent.

"I don't know if I should put down another teddy because I'm worried that someone will take it.

"It has affected my other daughter, Alice, who writes lovely poems on cards to leave with the teddy bear.

"She feels she has to because it keeps the sister she never knew safe.

"Why shouldn't I put a teddy there for my daughter?

"I'm tired of people blaming behaviour like this on Covid-19."

Lynn added: "I'm just so angry, I've never had any problems with the Ashcroft Crematorium before, but the last month has just been horrendous.

"Someone is going around, knocking over pots and stealing teddies and they must be the lowest of the low to get a kick out of doing something like that.

"It just can't go on like this, because someone is vandalising the graveyard and I don't want to keep on leaving teddies there if I know that someone is going to take them.

"It's upsetting enough having to go to my daughter's grave and this just adds to my distress."