Mum-of-three Anna Angel is appealing for the return of her mobile phone containing all the photographs of the first six weeks of her child, Jude.

Mrs Angel, of Webbs Way, Burbage, set off with husband Paul and their three children, Jude, seven-year-old Bethany, and Lauren, four, for a picnic at about 12.30pm on Sunday, intending to go to Martinsell Hill, which offers panoramic views of the Pewsey Vale.

As they got into their car outside their home, their puppy Ruby tried to dash into the road, and as Mrs Angel, 31, went to control the dog she put her iPhone 3 and Jude’s hat on the roof of the car.

The family set off for Martinsell, but when they had travelled only two or three miles and reached the outskirts of Milton Lilbourne, Mrs Angel realised what she had done.

She said: “It was a beautifully hot and sunny day and when we got to Milton Lilbourne I went to put Jude’s hat on his head.

“When I couldn’t find it, I remembered putting it on the roof of the car together with my phone.”

With all thoughts of the picnic forgotten, Mr Angel turned the car round and they drove slowly back to Burbage but could not find either Jude’s hat nor the iPhone containing their precious photographs of Jude during the first few weeks of his life.

Mr Angel then set off on foot and spent about three hours searching for the hat and phone.

He eventually found Jude’s hat not far from the Seymour Pond roundabout, but despite walking most of the way to Milton Lilbourne and back he did not find the iPhone.

Mrs Angel said if it had been an ordinary mobile phone she would not have worried so much about its loss, but the iPhone contains virtually every photograph they have of Jude with his sisters from when he was born.

She explained that after Jude’s birth and while she was recovering from a Caesarean section in Swindon’s Great Western Hospital, the family’s only camera stopped working.

So they used Mrs Angel’s mobile phone to record the family and friends who visited and their two daughters with their new brother.

Mrs Angel said: “We had to take all the photographs using my iPhone – it’s all his hospital photos, when people came in to visit him and the girls holding him for the first time.

“The phone contains precious memories which have not yet been backed up – these are irreplaceable moments that have great meaning to us all.”

Mr and Mrs Angel have had the iPhone locked so it is of no use to anyone else.

Mrs Angel said: “It’s not the phone we are interested in but the photographs.”

Anyone who finds the black i-Phone or knows of its whereabouts can leave a message for Mr and Mrs Angel via the village magazine Burbage News on (07879) 444345 or return it leave it at the Burbage Esso garage.