A Johnston widow has been left devastated by the theft of her husband’s ashes from the kitchen of her home just hours before they were due to be scattered.

Christopher John and his 73-year-old mother, Yvonne, had planned to travel to Tenby to scatter the ashes of their late father and husband, William John John, last Tuesday, January 26.

However just before Christopher was due to travel to his mother’s home, he received a distraught phone call from her to say the ashes had been stolen.

Mrs John had kept the urn with her husband’s ashes upstairs in her home, bringing it down only on Tuesday morning.

She left it in her kitchen while she went out to run an errand and on her return, at around 1.30pm, found it had disappeared.

“My mum is very upset, distressed and scared,” said Christopher. “It’s just devastating.

“My dad’s twin sister passed away a couple of weeks ago so this is just another awful thing.”

He appealed to whoever had the urn to return it to his mother.

“Whoever has taken the ashes needs to give them back,” he said. “We can’t lay him to rest until we’ve scattered his ashes.

“It’s such a shock. It’s terrible for everyone concerned.”

Mr John left behind three children as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He was originally from Tenby and once worked as the town’s postman. He was well-known as the steward of many clubs, including the Black Rabbit in Pembroke, the Conservative Club in Pembroke Dock and the Balfour in Haverfordwest.

Anybody with information about the whereabouts of the ashes should contact the police on 101 or Christopher John via the Western Telegraph on 01437 761 750.