Dealers alerted over £10,000 Surrey toy car theft

These three cars are all that is left of the collection

Toy car buffs are being urged to look out for a collection of valuable model vehicles stolen from the owner's Surrey home.

The Bburago model sports cars took their owner more than 30 years to assemble and are valued at more than £10,000.

They were taken from an outbuilding in the North Holmwood area of Dorking.

Only three of the 250 or so vehicles - some of which were hand-painted - were left behind.

The 49-year-old owner also lost a laptop, sound system, two bicycles and garden equipment in the burglary.

But it is the car collection that is irreplaceable. Det Con Nicky Dell, of Surrey Police, said: "The victim is obviously incredibly keen to see the safe return of his cars as not only do they have a large monetary value, but are also of huge sentimental value.

"The collection has taken more than 30 years to put together and could never be worth as much to the thief as they are to the owner.

"I am appealing to anyone who may have been offered them for sale, or perhaps believes they have seen a similar collection at a car-boot sale or advertised online to please get in touch so that this collection can be reunited with its rightful owner."

The models included a number of American sports cars. Bburago cars can range from about 6cm to more than 20cm long.

The remaining three cars, pictured, are similar to some of those stolen.

Police believe the stolen goods may have been taken to a waiting car parked on the A24 Horsham Road. They want to hear from anyone who saw people loading a vehicle on this road between Friday evening and Saturday morning.