A MEMORIAL bench for a Stourport teenager who died after being crushed by a car has been stolen.

The bench for Josh Jones, a trainee mechanic who lost his life when a car he was working on fell on top of him, was found to be missing from a specially made garden when one of his friends went to light a candle for the 18-year-old on Monday (September 29) night.

Stephanie Jones, Josh's mother, is appealing for help in finding the bench, which was bought by Josh's friends and put in a Manor Road garden made from the wasteland where the teenager died.

She said: "Every night one of John's friends goes down to the garden and lights a candle and when they went on Monday night it was gone.

"We can't understand this - we think it was malicious. I don't understand why someone would want to go in and take that bench."

The Manor Road garden was officially blessed and opened at the start of September to celebrate Josh's life and gave his friends and siblings a place to go if they did not want to visit his grave.

"We bought that bench for his friends to go and visit Josh, Mrs Jones said. "A lot of them don't like going to the grave so this was somewhere for them to go.

"I'll give a little reward if someone known something or even if they put that bench back they'd be no questions asked."

A spokesman from West Mercia Police said the bench is believed to have been taken between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Monday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on the non-emergency number 101 quoting crime number 748S of September 29.