THE mother of man who died when he was hit by a car has been left devastated after a memorial to him was wrecked.

Martin Rogers, of Bridge Street, died following a collision with a grey Vauxhall Corsa in Smannell Road, at the junction with Cricketers Way, on February 25, last year.

Following his death Martin's mum Lesley Richardson and their family created a memorial to remember him on the spot of the collision, but in the last few weeks gnomes that were placed on the garden have been stolen.

She said: “I just wouldn’t expect anybody to do this, it is like going into a graveyard and taking it off someone’s grave. I just hope it is someone who was drunk and didn’t know what they were doing.”

Lesley said she would like the gnomes returned before term time starts as she walks her grandchildren, now just her grandson, pass the memorial every day on the way to school.

“They were really close to their uncle and I don’t want him upset. I have got to walk down there four times a day and him two times a day, he is going to know they are gone – I just want them back before he goes back to school.

“Please somebody, whoever has got them for whatever reason, that is not important, just place them back.”

The family recently celebrated Martin’s 33rd birthday at the spot, and keep up the memorial to not only remember him but to also highlight an important message.

“To try and make the place not ugly we take flowers down their and the children do the gnomes, not only to remember Martin but also to make people aware that someone died there and to make them slow down.”

Lesley added: “We can’t put Martin to rest, we’ve got the trial to go through and we go down there a lot just to have a chat with him and clean it up. It just helps and the kids were really close to Martin and it just helps all of us.”

The grandmother has said she does not want to know who took the seven gnomes, but she would like them replaced, with family checking everyday in the hope they have been returned.

Benjamin Jobling, of Romney Road, will stand trial accused of killing Martin by driving dangerously on November 18 at Winchester Crown Court.