A NURSERY owner is appealing for information after bikes and scooters worth hundreds of pounds were stolen.

It was the fourth burglary incident to be reported at a children’s centre in Blackburn in two weeks.

Thieves broke the padlock off an outside shed at 21st Century Kidz in Emerald Street and took a total of eight bikes and scooters.

Two bikes and two red and black scooters were taken at some point during the weekend, along with two Little Tikes cars — one red and yellow coupe and one black and white police patrol car — and three Little Tikes motorbikes.

The heartbroken owner Hayley Lovell, 42, said: “The kids are absolutely gutted. They love to go outside to play on their scooters and bikes.

“Explaining to three or four-year-old children that somebody has taken them is not easy.”

Two years ago, the nursery had a rabbit stolen by children.

After an appeal, the rabbit was returned. Mrs Lovell said she did not believe it was children this time but she hoped another appeal would prove fruitful.

“They would have needed a van to shift all those items, or to make a few trips in a car. It wasn’t kids,” she said.

“I’ve written to all 70 parents and they are keeping their eyes open.

Yvonne Frail, 47, cares for a child at the nursery and said she was upset at the news.

She said: “It’s stealing from the innocent. In this day and age stealing from children is appalling.”

The Lancashire Telegraph reported last week how thieves struck at Care 4 Kids in Blackburn, leaving the centre with a £1,000 bill.

At Hancock Street Day Nursery an iPad was stolen and damaged was caused to a window panel in an attempted strike on Hancock’s Children’s Centre, both in Hancock Street.

Anne Horford, operations manager at Care 4 Kids, said: “It is disgusting that someone has focused on a children’s centre. That’s really low.”

Anybody with information can call police on 101, quoting reference ‘373 of June 10’.