A DAD'S surprise wedding gift worth thousands of pounds has been stolen just ten days before his daughter is to get married.

John Hayes, of Highfield Road in Farnworth, has spent years putting together a DJ set, estimated to be worth around £13,000.

As part of preparations for his daughter Amy's wedding, Mr Hayes had been making some special additions to the equipment to surprise her on her big day. She is set to marry Sean Griffiths on Saturday.

But in the early hours of Thursday, the unit in Darwen where Mr Hayes keeps the equipment was burgled and all of the gear was taken.

Mr Hayes, who works as an electrician as well as a DJ, said the equipment was 'unique' and probably the only one of its kind in the country.

The lights, lasers and pyrotechnics, a large quantity of power tools, the trailer used to carry the DJ equipment and a beach buggy motorbike were taken in the raid.

Mr Hayes, aged 54, was left devastated by the theft of the equipment, but also by the fact that his daughter was left with no DJ for the wedding with little over a week until the big day.

He said: "I wanted it to be a surprise. It was my wedding gift to my daughter.

"It was the early hours of Thursday morning, around 1.15am. They've been caught on CCTV but it is very grainy.

"It is very unique equipment, you would know if someone tried to sell it to you.

"I just know I'm not going to see it again. I'm absolutely gutted. It is the fact it was my daughter's wedding gift more than anything else. I had got some stuff for my daughter's wedding. She had no idea about it, it was a surprise.

"I've spent a couple of weeks to make it extra special for them."

After the break-in, an appeal was put out for a new DJ for the wedding on social media and thankfully, someone has been found to step in.

He said: "We have got someone now. A lot of people came forward to help, asking me if we have got sorted.

"They have been brilliant, all the people on social media. I'm very grateful for that.

"My daughter was really really upset about it all. I found it very difficult to tell her what had gone on."

Lancashire Police are investigating the break-in and forensic teams are believed to have worked at the scene.

It is believed that three men were involved and they used a white Transit van to escape with the items.

A box used to store the lighting rig bears the initials KH. The unit was based at a site in Redearth Road in Darwen.

Anyone with information should contact Lancashire Police on 101.