A mother in England has launched an emotional appeal, after a lock of hair belonging to her dead child was stolen.

Kirsty Baldwin's two-year-old daughter, Ellie Louise, died suddenly in 2013.

At around 10.30pm last Wednesday she got into her car at a motorway service station in Manchester and put her handbag on the passenger seat.

Before she was able to lock her doors or drive away, a man opened the passenger door and took the handbag.

He then got into another car, with a woman at the driving seat, and drove away.

Part of the number plate of the car - which is described as a small, dark grey/black vehicle in poor condition - is either EE55, EE54 or EE52.

The man is described as white with unkempt hair. The woman in the getaway car is also described as white, between 40 and 50-years-old, with long, dark hair, which was tied up.

Image via @gmpolice on Twitter

She is further described as being around 5ft 7in tall and haggard looking.

The designer handbag contained an iPad, a large amount of cash in Euros and a purse containing a memorial card - with the lock of blonde hair that belonged to her daughter.

Making an appeal for the items to be returned, Kirsty said: "Our daughter died unexpectedly of bronchial pneumonia and the lock of hair is all we had left of her apart from the clothes she had the night she died.

"Please, if anyone finds the lock shown in the picture, please do the right thing and hand it in to your nearest police station. Thank you."

Police Constable Cherie Castle added: "Robbery in any circumstance is particularly distressing but Kirsty and her family have been left devastated.

"The hair is such a precious item that cannot ever be placed and she's desperate it's returned to her.

"We're hoping the offenders or whoever has any information about this robbery hear this story and return the hair as soon as possible."