BROMLEY: Father Christmas stolen

And the thieves left a handwritten note saying: “To you, sorry, I Father Christmas forgot the presents. I will be back, might be back next year.”

For the last four years the Goldsbrough family in Southborough Lane, Bromley, have put up electric powered plastic models of a Father Christmas and a snowman every Christmas, which are lit up at night.

But at 12.55am on Wednesday (Dec 17), CCTV caught an unknown vehicle with two suspects going into the family’s garden.

They cut the Father Christmas from the wire connecting it to the mains and dragged the inflatable through a neighbouring garden.

Sarah Goldsbrough, who is landlady of the Chequers pub in Southborough Lane, said: “They have upset my seven-year-old daughter Danielle.

“What really got to me is they said ‘I will be back’.

“I want to embarrass them to make sure they know they have frightened a seven-year-old girl.

“She’s scared because in the note they wrote ‘I will be back’.”

Mrs Goldsbrough says the children from Southborough Primary School across the road all stop to look at Father Christmas and the snowman.

The 47-year-old said: “It's upsetting for the children.

It annoyed me but I am more annoyed for the children.

“They are pointing asking where’s Father Christmas?”

The mother-of-four and grandmother-of-one added: “I can't ever see the Father Christmas coming back.

“If they have got a heart they might return it, for the sake of the children.

“It's solely there for the pleasure of the children and these adults have taken it.

“I want them to feel stupid and guilty. It's low to do it to children.

“It's not the Christmas spirit, they’re both Scrooges.”

Police have taken the note away for DNA testing.

A Bromley police spokesman said: “We would like to hear from anyone in the area at the time who might have seen these two nasty Grinches stealing Christmas.

“Anyone with any information should contact Bromley Police on 01689 891212 or crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”