Thousands of pounds worth of horse riding gear has been stolen from the stables in Eltham Palace, leaving the vulnerable children who use it "devastated."

Eltham Palace Stables is home to around 30 horses, and is regularly used by 19 local children with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and anxiety.

In the early hours of Friday, November 21, burglars gained entry to around 20 tack rooms in the stables and around 30 saddles, tack and "basically anything they could get their hands on" were stolen.

Police valued the stolen goods at thousands of pounds, and have appealed to the public to come forward if they saw anything suspicious or are offered any of the items.

A mum of three children who use the stables, Beth Rabicano, has set up a fundraising page to try and replace the goods after her children were left "completely devastated" by the situation.

Beth said: "The break-in has really hit my children hard, especially my eldest daughter Tierney, aged 11, who suffers from ASD and ADHD.

"The stables is her safe place, it's where she foes to unwind from the struggles she faces daily, and the people who have broken in have taken everything we've worked hard to get."

Like all the children on the yard, she is now unable to ride until the equipment is replaced.

Another mum, Stacey Whitlock, said: "The mood on the whole yard is down, we’ve lost everything. The horses are stressed as they can’t go out and the children are devastated.

"We are not a rich yard by any means and the saddles and tack will take months to replace."

Ms Rabicano reported that many of the children were frightened that the burglars will come back and take the horses.

She added: "I decided to set up a crowd funding page to see if I could help put a smile back on the children’s faces and have been overwhelmed by the generous support we’ve received so far. "

So far the page has raised £830, if you'd like to add to this click here.

A spokesperson for Eltham South Police said: "A burglary occurred between 1900hrs on 21/11 and 0600hrs on 22/11. Entry had been gained to 20 tack rooms where thousands of pounds worth of horse riding items have been stolen.

"If anyone was in King Johns Walk or the Eltham Palace area during that time and saw anything suspicious or have CCTV on their house, please contact the police. Additionally, if they are offered any of these items, please let us know.

"Eltham South Police officers have visited the venue and liaised with staff, and crime prevention advice has also been given so this does not happen again. A walk around the area and a leaflet drop has resulted in a couple of bits of CCTV which will be followed up."