Girl, four, left heartbroken over theft of her playhouse

A little girl was left heartbroken by a bizarre theft '“ thieves stole her wendy house.
Duncan and Christina Milham at their Haredean allotment with daughters Bramble and AmoraDuncan and Christina Milham at their Haredean allotment with daughters Bramble and Amora
Duncan and Christina Milham at their Haredean allotment with daughters Bramble and Amora

Bramble Milham broke down in tears when she discovered the 6ft tall wooden building had been stolen from the allotments at Haredean, Lewes.

It had been a special present when she celebrated her fourth birthday in June.

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The playhouse doubled as a shed for her parents Duncan and Christina Milham, of Barons Down Road, Lewes, who have been tending an allotment there for three months.

The stolen playhouseThe stolen playhouse
The stolen playhouse

The disappearance, which occurred from the site in Brighton Road between July 26 and 30, has left Mr Milham perplexed.

He said that while thefts from allotments were probably not normally newsworthy, this one was unusual.

It had involved the entire structure being disassembled.

The maths teacher, who works at Blatchington Mill School in Hove, said: “No other items were taken – shovels, a wheelbarrow and other gardening items were not removed – they were simply left on the floor.

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“The base of the playhouse was not taken and no other damage was done.

“It was unscrewed, which suggests tools, planning and at least two people were involved to carry the panels away and they would need a van.

“It took two of us an hour to carry all the parts to my plot from the car park.”

Mr Milham, who also has an eight-month-old daughter, Amora, added: “It was second hand and not particularly valuable – we paid around £40 for it.”

But it was little Bramble’s pride and joy.

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“We are stumped to explain the motivation for this theft,” added Mr Milham. “The allotments are not really visible from any public roads or paths.”

The family has appealed on social media for any information which might lead to the playhouse being recovered.