A couple’s front garden is looking rather less festive after thieves stole hundreds of pounds worth of Christmas decorations under the cover of night.

The seasonal ornaments, including two Nordic gnomes and two acrylic reindeer, were swiped from a property in Pinecroft Wood, Longfield between 7.30pm and 11.30pm Tuesday evening.

Homeowner Richard Kernan, 63, has lived there with his wife since 2012 and the house has a reputation for being one of the street’s most well decorated each year.

“A lot of people here put some decorations out so we followed suit and they have been out there every year,” said Mr Kernan.

“People stop to have a look and children do like them. They stop to have a look, which is the whole point of the exercise — to brighten up people’s lives at Christmas.”

Mr Kernan noticed that the items had been taken when he went out to turn some of the lighting off at around 11pm.

Some of the decorations, such as a little fir tree, were left behind, but the ones that were taken add up to a cost of more than £400.

“We won’t buy anything between now and Christmas because it’s a lot of money and I’m retired now,” Mr Kernan continued.

“We’ll debate what whether we’ll buy them again for next year. Nobody else has had anything taken. We’ve not had any problems like this since we’ve been here.”

“We might put CCTV cameras in as police have told us there’s no indication as to who has taken them, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be recovered.”

The decorations were last seen by neighbour Michael Madgett at around 7.30pm.

Police are appealing for anyone with information that may help them track down the stolen goods to contact them on 01474 366149, quoting reference XY/050207/16.

Alternatively contact Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.