Thieves have stolen a precious statue of the Virgin Mary from a special Remembrance Sunday grotto at a church.

As scores paid their respects to the dead and injured in recent and past conflicts, the thieves stole the 15" statue from the Remembrance Day display.

The theft came sometime between 1.15pm and 1.25pm on Remembrance Sunday at the Church of Our Lady of Christians in Guildhall Street, Folkestone.

The statue depicts the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus.

Mary's robes are painted gold, blue and green, and the statue is worth around £600.

It was surrounded in the grotto by a poppy wreath and special crosses to remember the fallen.

As well as the statue, an Easter candle was taken from the Baptismal area of the church and smashed on the wall outside.

"The theft of such an iconic statue from a display which was commemorating Remembrance Sunday is a huge mark of disrespect" - PC Michael Kendall

Investigating officer PC Michael Kendall said: "We are in the process of reviewing CCTV of the area and are keen to hear from any witnesses who may have information useful to this case.

"I am keen to speak with three teenagers who were seen outside the church, they are reportedly two boys and a girl. The girl was heard shouting 'I've got a candle'.

"The theft of such an iconic statue from a display which was commemorating Remembrance Sunday is a huge mark of disrespect and we are keen to find those responsible in an effort to both bring them to justice and return the statue to the church."

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call Kent Police on 101 and quote crime reference ZY/34191/2013.