A widow has been left devastated after burglars broke into her home and stole sentimental jewellery, much of which had been given to her by her late husband.

Shattered glass covered Julie Tointon-Mahandru’s kitchen floor after burglars broke into her Hornchurch home.

The 41-year-old ran upstairs and her fears were realised as she discovered jewellery boxes once filled with necklaces, bracelets and her husband’s watch were empty.

Julie’s five-year-old daughter Sophia also had her gold earrings and iPad taken from her bedroom.

Julie is appealing to the public to help her track down the jewellery.

She said: “It’s obvious that it’s a little girl’s bedroom so these people have absolutely no morals.

“There’s a pillow on her bed with a picture of Sophia and her dad so they could see exactly who they were stealing from.

“Our jewellery doesn’t mean anything to them, but it is special to us.

“My daughter keeps crying because of what’s happened and I want to make it better.”

Julie’s husband Dee died of cancer in 2010, aged 45.

She said: “I was going to pass all of these on to my daughter as they are part of her dad’s legacy, but I can’t now and it’s heart breaking.

“I have had many of them for years and they are some of the only things I have left from my husband.

“They mean so much to me and I don’t care about who took them. I just want them back.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is urged to call the police on 101.

To view pictures of Julie’s missing jewellery click here