A woman has been left counting sheep after four of her woolly pets went missing.

Bernadette Barton is suffering sleepless nights with worry after her pet sheep Mabel, Mildred, Angel and Flower vanished from their paddock.

She has spent up to 12 hours a day searching for the rescued farmyard animals since they went missing on Wednesday last week.

They had been kept with animals belonging to local farmers in fields near her home in Furner's Green, near Uckfield.

Other animals also went missing but were later recovered.

It is not known if they broke out on their own or they were stolen.

Ms Barton said: "The first day I spent 22 hours looking for them.

"I try to sleep but I'm lying there at 3am knowing they're still missing and I have to get up and search again."

Ms Barton had five sheep. She said her only remaining pet, 14-year-old Gertie, who has arthritis, was missing her companions and distressed by their absence.

Mabel and Mildred were rescued sheep and Angel and Flower are their lambs.

When Ms Barton gave sanctuary to Mabel, Mildred and Gertie, they were quite wild and difficult to catch.

She spent days letting them get used to her, even sleeping in their barn for a fortnight until they became tame and friendly.

Ms Barton, a veterinary nurse, said: "They're like my babies. I just want to find them.

"I have been everywhere and looked in every badger hole for miles around.

"I even went to Hailsham sheep market and handed out photographs but no one had seen them.

"Sheep are not commercially valuable so I don't think anyone would have stolen them to sell."

She described Mildred as having a brown speckled face and Mabel a black speckled face. Both have pieces missing from their ears.

The two lambs have very woolly coats and long tails.

All four are a long-legged mixed breed, resembling mountain sheep.

None of them has an owner's marking on them.

Anyone who has any information or thinks they may have spotted one of the four should call Ms Barton on 077142 09438.