A WOMAN left distraught and angry after her car containing her parents' funeral ashes was stolen is offering a £1,000 reward for their return.

Michaela Reeves Robson's white Cherokee Jeep was stolen from outside her Silsden home after she and her husband, Wayne, were burgled on October 15.

Although the car was found dumped and undamaged in Manningham a short time later, the contents had been cleared out.

Among the items were two velvet pouches containing some of her parents' ashes.

"Some of the ashes of my father, Ken Reeves, and my mother, Patricia Bianchi, were in my glove compartment and under the arm rest.

"I had buried the rest of the ashes at Ilkley cemetery so they could be together and I could have somewhere to go and visit and place flowers.

The rest of my dad's ashes were to be scattered in the Rockies in Vancouver where my parents moved to for a few years after they married and my mum wanted hers scattering under a tree in Genoa, Italy, which she had planted as a five year old.

"I also had my mum's rosary beads and my dad's St Christopher in the car too and they were taken.

"In the car as well was an orange plastic basket of round tins which were cine films my late grandfather, Luigi Bianchi, had taken of my parents' wedding and my christening and family holidays.

"I had put them in as the next day I was taking them to be transferred onto DVD.

"Somewhere between Silsden and Cottingley and Manningham (the thieves) have emptied the car which had a boot full of things for AGE UK such as clothes and crockery from my late parents' house in huge bright blue Ikea bags.

"Somebody somewhere must know something so that's why I'm offering a £1,000 reward.

"People may question why the ashes were in the car. They'd been there since July after I'd had some buried in the plot in Ilkley and every now and then I'd see them and smile and say 'hi' to them. I really quite liked the fact they were there.

"We were planning to scatter the remainder of the ashes in April next year."

Mrs Reeves Robson, a former display advertising rep with the Telegraph & Argus, said her father was from West Bowling and met her mother in the Craven Heifer pub, in Manchester Road where she worked.

Her mother also worked as a switchboard operator for the Telegraph & Argus in the 1960s.

The couple married and moved to Vancouver where her father worked in the construction and scaffolding business.

After returning to England he trained as an upholsterer and ran his own business, Reeves & Co, in Harrogate, for 40 years which Mrs Reeves Robson now manages.

"Even though they divorced in 1999 they remained great friends and the last photo of them together was at my mum's 70th birthday. She died of motor neurone disease in 2014 aged 73.

"My dad who was the same age died at Christmas after suffering from Crohn's disease and developing a perforated bowel which wasn't diagnosed early enough," Mrs Reeves Robson added.

"I cried for four days after losing these items and now I just feel angry that someone came into my home and took things and then went through my car.

"I'm offering the reward and hope someone's memory could be jogged, especially if they saw Ikea bags and things dumped somewhere between Silsden and Manningham.

"I just want them back. If anyone knows anything they can email me at michaela.reeves@virgin.net

West Yorkshire Police are investigating the crime.