THIEVES have broken the heart of 11 year-old Ceri-Ann Organ, carrying off her paddling pool - a birthday present - from the garden of her home in Whitecroft.
They struck last Wednesday night, draining 750 gallons of water from the 12ft square pool and lifting it from its specially prepared base.
"I really can't believe it. Now there is just a hole in the ground," said Ceri-Ann's mother, Mrs Jackie Organ, of Parkhill.
Mrs Organ had saved hard to buy the pool as a special present for Ceri-Ann and her three year-old brother, Ricky.
"The children were really looking forward to the school holidays and the fun they were going to have in the pool. My father, Mike Delaney, worked hard to prepare the site which had to be levelled," she said.
Ceri-Ann had enjoyed the pool for just three weeks when the thieves struck.
"It is hard to believe it could happen. They must have used buckets to empty the water which was about 750 gallons. It took three hours to fill with a hose pipe," she said.
Mrs Organ says the theft must have been planned.
"They were obviously well prepared. I have two dogs who bark at the slightest noise but they were quiet all night. It is really quite weird.
"It has made me very anxious other things might be stolen and ever since the pool disappeared I have hardly slept," she said.
Mrs Organ is hoping a passer-by may have seen something suspicious.
"The children are very upset and Ceri-Ann is heartbroken. I can't begin to tell you how we felt when we opened the curtains in the morning to see the pool had gone and there was just a hole in the ground."