A couple returned from their honeymoon to find burglars had stolen jewellery worn by the bride on her wedding day and that her dress had been worn and left in a heap on the floor.

Steve and Margaret Berry returned from a ten-day break to Gran Canaria on May 20 to celebrate their marriage and found someone had been in their flat in Broadwater Road, Worthing.

Mr Berry said a number of items had been stolen including Mrs Berry's silver and diamant necklace she wore on their wedding day.

Her mother's wedding rings, a scooter worth £2,500, four mobile phones and gift vouchers meant as a wedding present were also taken.

The burglars also stole a necklace belonging to Mrs Berry's five-year-old daughter Joanne, who died several years ago.

Mr Berry, 45, who works as a registrar for Lloyds TSB, said: "The necklace was of great sentimental value to my wife. These thieves are animals. How can they steal things that mean so much to us as a family?"

Mr Berry said the burglars had put on Mrs Berry's ivory wedding dress and the red-wine coloured bridesmaid dresses and dumped them on the floor along with other clothes they wore.

They defecated in the toilet and left it unflushed. They also rifled through personal effects, dranking any alcohol they could find and left the flat in a mess.

Mrs Berry, 55, a care worker, said: "We came home from our lovely honeymoon to find that thing down the toilet, knowing they had slept in our bed and been through all our things.

"It felt as though we had been deprived of all our privacy."

The couple were married at Centenary House register office in Worthing on May 7 before moving on to the Thomas A' Becket pub in Rectory Road for the reception.

Mr Berry said: "This is not just a couple of quid that they've taken. It's about £4,000. We want to walk out of Worthing and never come back."

A spokesman for Sussex Police confirmed the burglary was being investigated by Worthing CID.

Anyone with any information can contact Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.