A FAMILY has been left devastated after their brand new caravan was stolen.

Paula and Geoffrey Day, 42 and 56, had spent £12,995 – almost all of their savings – on the vehicle.

They were hoping to use it to take their grandchildren, Nicole, four, and Polly-Ann, two, on their first summer holiday.

But determined thieves broke into their back garden in Sutton, near Eynsham, to take the caravan.

They crossed a field, cut through a fence and moved a wood pile, in what the family believe was a well-planned raid.

Mrs Day had only picked up the van three weeks ago and had not yet insured it.

The children live with their grand- parents but were staying with relatives when the theft happened.

Mrs Day said: “The first thing they said when they got back was ‘where’s the caravan?’ “I had to say nasty people have come and stolen it, and they burst out crying.”

Mrs Day, who recently retired as a web publisher at Oxford University to look after the children, said she and her husband, a HGV driver, had planned to put their savings to good use.

She said: “It was most of our savings but we wanted to take the children on holidays.”

The family were due to leave for the summer vacation, at a caravan site near Newcastle, this coming Saturday.

She said: “We had been getting the children excited and packing everything away ready for it.”

Mrs Day said she and her husband were not able to afford another caravan.

The caravan had been stored out-of-sight in their back garden, which backs on to a farmer’s field.

Mrs Day said: “It must have been well planned and they must have been in our garden before. Our garden is not private any more and that feels horrible.”

Police are appealing for witnesses to the theft of the Hobby Prestige caravan, which happened between 11pm on Friday and 6.15am on Saturday. Anyone with information should call 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.