A MUM has been left “devastated” after a small silver love heart - a gift from her late daughter - was stolen in a burglary.

Helen Race, 51, of York, took to social media to post a video pleading with the thieves to return the trinket, which bears the words ‘Mum’ on one side and ‘Love you’ on the other.

In the video she says: “That heart means everything to me. It means nothing to you. To me it is priceless.”

The heart-shaped trinket is about the size of a £2 coin and was given to Helen by her daughter Samantha, who died in December 2013, aged 27, five days after she had heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI). Samantha gave it to her on Mother’s Day when she was 16.

Helen said the heart was “sentimental”.

“I can still remember the day Samantha gave it to me,” she said.

“I am beyond devastated. When I realised it had gone I felt sick. They can have everything else, I just want that heart back.”

Helen and her partner Keith Taylor, 64, of Glen Road, Heworth, woke up at around 5.30am on Friday morning to find the house had been burgled overnight.

She said the thieves stole three of her handbags and her purse containing cash, her debit and credit cards and the heart.

In one of the handbags was around £230 in cash that Helen had raised for the Take Heart charity to buy a bench in memory of Samantha for a roof top garden at LGI. The charity supported Helen when Samantha was in hospital.

During the burglary, Keith’s wallet was also stolen, which had cash and his debit and credit cards inside. Between them, the couple have had about £400 in cash taken, Helen said.

She added: “We went to bed at midnight on Thursday night, got up at 5.30am in the morning and realised someone had been in the house. They had obviously taken his wallet. They’ve taken anything small they could get their hands on.

“Someone else in the next street on Glen Avenue was burgled as well, they lost their car.

“There’s an alleyway across from Keith’s house. They had dumped two of my handbags near the skip there. My purse was on the floor with the rest of my belongings from my handbags and purse.”

Helen believes the culprits entered the house through a sitting room window, which had been left open, and took off through a side door.

Samantha had the chromosome abnormality Turner Syndrome and suffered from poor health all her life. She had her first heart surgery at only 10 months old and the operation in December 2013 was the follow-up to that.

Helen said she died due to complications that arose following the operation.

North Yorkshire Police said inquiries are “ongoing” into the burglary at Keith’s home, along with the burglary on Glen Avenue.

A spokesman said: “A burglary occurred between midnight and 5.30am on Friday, July 13, 2018 at a house on Glen Road, York. The offenders made off with various items including a silver love heart charm which is of enormous sentimental value to the owner.

“A ‘two-in-one’ burglary was also reported at a nearby address on Glen Avenue overnight between Thursday and Friday, July 12 to 13. The suspects entered the house and took the key for a silver Audi A4 estate car which was parked outside. The car has not yet been located.

“Officers are keeping an open mind about the possibility that they could be linked.”

No arrests have yet been made in connection with the burglaries, the spokesman confirmed.

Anyone with information is urged to phone North Yorkshire Police on 101.

Quote reference number 12180126629 for the Glen Road burglary and 12180126562 for the Glen Avenue incident.

Meanwhile, Helen has arranged a charity psychic evening to be held on Tuesday, July 17, at New Earswick Folk Hall, from 7.30pm to 10pm. Funds raised from the event will go to Take Heart for the memorial bench.