FOR Rev Richard Smith, of Long Compton, the discovery was the answer to a prayer.

A mother driving her children to school in Moreton spotted papers dumped in a ditch which turned out to be family documents stolen during a burglary at the vicarage.

Linda Fox, from Burmington, retrieved the papers after she had dropped off her children and handed them to the police.

They turned out to be papers and certificates Rev Smith had gathered in preparation for his son Jonathan's wedding at the weekend, and his teacher wife Jane's diary with all her timetables and information.

The papers and diary were stolen along with £300 cash and two mobile phones from the vicarage - which was burgled during the night while the family were asleep.

Some of the cash was sponsorship money which had just been collected from the Churches and Chapels annual cycle ride last month.

"I was so worried about losing my document case with all the papers," said Mr Smith. "We are so grateful to Mrs Fox, who saw all the papers strewn in a ditch along the Todenham Road and collected them all in a plastic bag and gave them to police.

"They found contact numbers and called my wife at her school. Even our credit cards were recovered, but not the cash or phones. Mrs Fox really was an answer to a prayer and we have been to see her and thank her."