A FOODBANK worker was left “heartbroken” after her mobile phone with treasured pictures of her young son was stolen as she helped people in need.

Rebecca Lent was devastated after she realised the phone, which has hundreds of pictures of her three-year-old son Alfie stored on the device, had been snatched on Tuesday, March 3.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Kinson, volunteered at Bournemouth Foodbank for one and a half years before taking up a job with the charity last July.

Miss Lent said she was cleaning on Tuesday afternoon at the charity’s main centre in Charminster when a client asked for help.

“A client asked me to change something in their food parcel so I went out the back,” she said.

“I put my phone down with the cleaning products. I was only out there for a minute or so. When I went back to pick up the cleaning stuff the phone was gone.”

Miss Lent believes one of the foodbank users may have stolen the white iPhone 5 when she left the room.

She said: “I was heartbroken. They are desperate so I get why they did it but I just want the phone back. I would pay to get it back.

“I just want the pictures. They weren’t backed-up and I’m not the kind of person to put them on Facebook. A year and a half of memories is on that phone.”

Miss Lent said the phone was in a plain black case, which also contained her driving licence and bank cards.

A spokesman from Dorset Police said the phone is believed to have been taken between 12.20pm and 12.45pm on Tuesday, March 3. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting crime reference 15:00936.