THIEVES who stole a camera with precious photos of the boss of a baby mattress firm who died earlier this year have been branded the 'scum of the earth'.

The masked intruders took two laptops from Babywise, in Darwen, and a camera given as a present to late company owner Peter Cunliffe, who died from leukemia, by his wife, Kathleen.

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Police were called to the Almond Street Works at 11am on Tuesday and found the burglars had removed a window to gain entry to the building.

CCTV images have been released in a bid to catch the burglars, who got away with an Apple iMac, an Asus laptop and the digital camera.

Bosses at the firm, which produces mattresses used by Prince George, as well as stars such as Robbie Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Cowell and Lily Allen, were especially devastated when they discovered the camera had gone.

Manager Heather Aspin, daughter of company owner Kathleen, said: "They took a load of keys for vehicles and tried to enter the safe in the factory.

"The iMac alone is worth £2,000 and the other laptop was £300, but what we really want back is the camera.

"It was the last Christmas present my mum bought my dad before he passed away and it's of great sentimental value, especially with the pictures on it.

"We will offer a high reward for its return."

Mrs Aspin said the thieves jumped over a wall and broke in through a side window.

She said: "They have smashed through the side of the property and escaped the same way.

"We have got CCTV of the two men - in fact, they are not men, they are scum of the earth - who did it.

"It is almost as if they knew what they were looking for. They stole an Apple iMac and another laptop, but they left others.

"Then they rooted through all the drawers and opened people's wage slips.

"We called the police who have been down with the crime scene investigation team.

"We have been broken into in the past but just by kids who had a party inside. This is more malicious.

"The CCTV said it happened between 10.56pm and 11.05pm. One of our neighbours said she saw man jumping over a wall to get in but we can't see that on the CCTV."