A GRANDFATHER is devastated after a family treasure went missing from outside his front door.

Barry Scherer, 78, was given a round wooden children’s table from his father, Stanley Scherer, in 1943.

The table was passed down to his two-year-old granddaughter Holly Leddy-Owen to use when she visits her grandparents in Shaftesbury Road, Brighton.

But on Sunday afternoon it disappeared from outside their front door.

Barry, who works at the University of Brighton, said: “We are really devastated.

“My wife Lynda can’t believe this has happened.

“She was just moving things in the house and put it outside for a few minutes and it was gone when she went back to get it.

“It’s really sad. Who took our table?”

The table, which has now been in the family for three generations, has all Barry’s five grandchildren’s names and dates of birth engraved in the under side.

He said: “It’s not worth much but it’s of huge sentimental value.

“We have a lot of memories with that table.

“I was born in California where it was given to me and it travelled across the Atlantic to Brighton and now I love seeing Holly sit at it.”

Barry believes someone passing by may have presumed they wanted to get rid of it because it was outside.

He said: “I am not suggesting someone intended to take it.

“They may have picked it up because they thought we wanted to chuck it out but we certainly didn’t.

“I just really hope that it hasn’t become somebody’s firewood.”

Barry said the table is probably not more than 100cm wide.

But whoever picked it up would probably have been noticeable walking down the street with it.

He said: “They will have probably had to walk with it holding it above their head so I am trying to find someone who may have seen them.

“Whoever took it just won’t know how much it means to us.

“My daughter Lexie, who is now living in Portsmouth with Holly will be devastated to find out we haven’t got it any more.”

If Barry has not had much response in the next few days he is going to create posters of the missing table.

He has asked anyone who might know of or have seen where the table might be to contact him on brightonbls2@yahoo.com.