HEARTLESS thieves stole a memorial to a little girl tragically killed in an accident in Weymouth.

Five-year-old Lily-Mae Jeffries died following a collision on Weymouth Way in March, 2012.

Her family set up a memorial area with colourful windmills, close to where a new pedestrian crossing was installed following her death.

But Lily-Mae’s grandmother, Jax Gibbard, was saddened to find that the largest windmill in the display had been taken some time on Friday.

She and husband Kev are asking for the culprit to return the windmill or at least ‘think about what they have done’.

Mr Gibbard said: “My wife put a little explanation for people who want to know what it is, but I think most people in the town know.

“Jax got out of her car when she realised the windmill was missing to see if it had blown over, but it was completely gone.

“It was firmly placed in the ground so someone’s taken it.”

He added: “If whoever took it could put it back or replace it that would be nice.

“It’s a tribute to our little granddaughter and we just want to make them realise what they have done. It’s just a little thing but it’s important to us.

“People need to remember what happened there.”

As reported in the Echo, Lily-Mae was crossing the road with her siblings and great-grandmother when they were in collision with motorbikes on March 10, 2012. Lily, from Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset, died the following day at Southampton General Hospital.

Since her death, Lily-Mae’s family has held several fundraising events in her honour.

Mrs Gibbard said: “It’s just a bit disappointing that somebody has done this.

“When they were building the crossing we took the windmills away and so many people were saying to us ‘when are you putting them back?’ “People have given me windmills and asked me to put them there for them.

“It wasn’t necessarily to remind everybody of the accident, but just to make them aware of the dangers of the road.

“It’s there for a reason – there’s a photo of Lily-Mae and it says ‘in loving memory’ so it’s quite obvious what it’s there for.”