Appeal Over Laptop

A mother made an emotional plea today for the return of a laptop containing years of student work believed to have been stolen from her daughter just days before her finals.

Gardening author and television presenter Lucy Summers said Elle Lockhart, 23, a design student at Goldsmith's College in London, last saw her bag containing the Macbook computer and hard-drive in a pub in New Cross, south London, last night.

Mrs Summers, from Hove, East Sussex, said it contained three years of work by her "devastated'' daughter, who is currently 4% off a first class honours degree, which she needs to hand in as part of the course.

She appealed for anyone who had been offered the items, or who may have simply picked up her daughter's bag by mistake, to return them.

"She went in for one drink. She is totally devastated because there is three years' work on there,'' she said.

"She said to me 'Mum, I just feel like my stomach has fallen out of my body'.''

The bag went missing in the Marquis of Granby in New Cross Road some time after 10.30pm last night, she said.

Miss Lockhart, who lives in Sydenham, south east London, had stopped for a drink with some other students at the pub near their college before heading home.

Mrs Summers said anyone with information should email her on info@theogc.co.uk.