A musician said he was “absolutely devastated” by the theft of a beloved guitar given to him by his grandfather.
Tom A Smith, from Sunderland, was travelling to London with his band for a radio interview and gig on Friday evening when their van was broken into at London Gateway service station.
All their equipment was taken, along with laptops and medication belonging to one of the band members.
“Don’t know what to do. Could actually cry,” Mr Smith posted on social media.
The 20-year-old singer said the guitar had been given to him by his grandfather about seven years ago.
“It’s my prized possession, the greatest thing I own,” he told the BBC.
“In fact, I only started bringing it to shows recently because I was worried it might get stolen.”
Mr Smith said the thieves were “obviously professionals” as the band had not realised the van had been broken into until they arrived at their destination.
The interview, on Radio X, went ahead but without the planned live session.
The singer said they had reported the theft to police, who were “helpful”, but he was not hopeful of seeing his kit again.
“I could cry,” he said. “I’m devastated. If anyone sees anything like it for sale online, please get in touch.”
The singer’s Facebook post has prompted a number of sympathetic comments, including one tagging music star Elton John and asking him to help.