Little litter champion Rose, 3, appeals for return of her beloved pink litter-picker

There was only one thing environmentally-conscious three-year-old Rose Armstrong wanted for Christmas – her own pink litter-picking grabber.

She was over the moon on Christmas Day, but now her favourite present has vanished while she and dad Darren Armstrong were playing in the park near their home.

Darren said Rose was passionate about keeping the streets clean and furious with litterbugs: "When we were out and about, she would see litter lying around and shout that it was ridiculous and people should take it home,” he said.

When it came to what Santa would tuck into her stocking, there was only ever one possibility: "She was obsessed with having her own litter-picker and wouldn’t stop talking about it,” said Darren, 31.

"I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said a pink litter-picker – that was her main present.”

Finding pink litter-pickers in short supply, Darren improvised: “I couldn’t find a pink one, so I had to get a grey one and spray it pink,” he said.

In fact, he got two – one for Rose and one for himself – so they could go out Wombling together.

They took them both to the park on Wednesday – car salesman Darren’s day off – when both were taken.

"We went to the park and I just left them down on the ground near the gate,” he said.

"When it was time to leave, I went to pick them up and they were gone.

“Somebody has taken them.”

Darren, from Chilton Moor, thinks the grabbers have probably been taken home by children and is hoping an appeal will see them returned.

"There was only us in the park, so it would have been pretty obvious who they belonged to – especially since one of them was pink,” he said..

“No adult would have taken them, it must be kids. They will have taken them home and hopefully their mum or dad will see my appeal and realise what they are and bring them back –.

“They are no use to anybody else.”

Darren can be contacted through his Facebook page facebook.com/darren.armstrong.376

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