A van carrying the ashes of "many" pets has been stolen in Avening before it could deliver them back to their owners.

The unmarked white Ford transit was meant to deliver the ashes from a pet crematorium near Stroud to nearby veterinary practices.

Instead, it was stolen from The Sunground in Avening sometime between 11.30am on Wednesday and 2.33am on Thursday.

“I’ve just got no closure,” said one owner Laura Peskins, who had to put her 11-year-old dog Matty to sleep earlier this month.

“You’re supposed to give your pet a dignified end - there’s nothing dignified about this.”

Laura had been alerted to the theft by her vets in Buckinghamshire - Hall Place Veterinary Centre, which was one of several using the crematorium services at Limekiln Farm in Middle Lypiatt.

“I’ve been here 25 years this is unprecedented as far as we are concerned,” said Tessa Drew, practice manager at Hall Place.

“We reached out to owners as soon as we found out.”

It is unclear how many owners have been affected by the theft, but, when the SNJ spoke to Hall Place, they suggested "many".

Limekiln Farm has been contacted for comment.

Laura had adopted Matty, a Lhasa Apso, back in 2016 when his owner suddenly died.

Six weeks later while Laura was trying to find a new home for Matty he got sudden onset glaucoma and lost both eyes in the space of a fortnight.  

Then, that Christmas, he was diagnosed with autoimmune disease of his spinal cord and was on steroids for the rest of his life.

He started going downhill in May and, on July 19, Laura rushed him to the vet with a swollen tummy and they diagnosed a huge mass in his stomach.  

After she found out a tracker on the stolen van was removed in Nailsworth, Laura posted to a Facebook group for the town asking for help.

"Please please help me," she posted to Nailsworth Chat & Information.

Laura later told the SNJ: “You first have to cope with the grief of putting a dog down.

“Then you drift into numbness.

"But then you're supposed to get closure.

“I lost both of my parents in the last year - I’ve been completely knocked sideways.”

A spokesperson from Gloucestershire Police said of the incident: "We can confirm that in the early hours of Thursday morning police received a report that a white Ford transit van (VA65 VBF) had been stolen from The Sunground in Avening.

"The incident happened sometime between 11.30am on Wednesday and 2.33am on Thursday."

Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should call police on 101 and quote incident 47 of 26 July.

If you have information which can help reunite Laura with Matty’s ashes, contact police on 101 quoting incident number 47 of July 26.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

A photo of Laura with Matty before he was put to sleep