A family has been left heartbroken after a video was stolen featuring footage of their baby taken minutes after he was born.

The film of the first few weeks of Gabriel Montgomery's life was inside a video camera taken by a burglar who sneaked into the family's home in Brighton.

Gabriel's mother Colette, 39, said: "There is only about ten minutes of film, taken just after Gabriel was born and when we got him home but it is so important.

"We did the same when our two-year-old daughter, Ella, was born."

The camera can be replaced but the family have lost the only footage of their son's first moments.

The thief dashed in as Mrs Montgomery was either bathing her four-week-old son or watching Big Brother USA on TV at her home in Crescent Road on Saturday.

He grabbed her handbag and Panasonic camcorder and fled.

Her husband John, a 38-year-old telecom engineer, found the bag the next morning by a waste bin in Princes Road.

Inside were his wife's car and house keys but there was no sign of her purse or the video camera.

She said: "If the thief reads this then please let us have our precious film back."

PC Stephen Wood said: "The burglar stole more than just possessions. He took this family's memories of their new baby.

"I urge anyone with any information to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to call PC Stephen Wood on 0845 6070999.