A FAMILY is devastated after the theft of six pet lambs on Easter Sunday.

The Tindale family were shocked to discover that the lambs, some only days old, had been taken from a stable at their Brancepeth smallholding.

They fear that the thieves will not realise that the lambs will starve to death unless they are bottle fed every four hours.

The lambs were given to the Tindales by a local farmer because they were orphans or born as triplets and were not being fed by their mother.

The family's daughters - Elisa, 15, Olivia, 13, Georgia, seven, and five-year-old twins Grace and Anna - were looking after them.

"They were distraught to find that their lambs had gone on Easter day," said their mother Lysette. "They are fed four-hourly so if somebody has taken them thinking they'll sell them as Easter presents and has left them somewhere, they will starve to death in a few days."

The family's house is near the Bishop Brandon Walkway and Mrs Tindale believes the thieves may have seen the lambs before Easter day. "I think they hopped over the fence. They could have parked in the walkway car park. One person could have made a couple of journeys to get them away."

Mrs Tindale is urging people to beware if they are offered a lamb for sale. She said: "The lambs are female, have black faces and four of them have blue ear tags."

Police are investigating the theft that took place between 10pm on Saturday and about 4am on Sunday.

A police spokesman said: "We assume the thief or thieves must have had a vehicle nearby.

"It is hard to imagine someone would have corralled six lambs down the street in the early hours. We don't know what the motive is for stealing them."

Anyone with information should call Durham police station on (0191) 386 4222.