Thieves targeted a community leader's home, stealing thousands of pounds raised for charity and treasured possessions including his MBE.

Former Sutton mayor Lal Hussain, 73, was at hospital with his wife when burglars broke into at his Wallington home just before Christmas.

They made off with jewellery worth £25,000, £4000 in cash that was due to be sent through his charity to help build a school in Pakistan, and his MBE and mayoral medals, which were kept in a safe.

Among the items taken was a necklace Mr Hussain gave to his wife, Abida, 63, on their wedding day, and Christmas presents for their grandchildren.

Awards she had received for community and charity work were also taken.

Mr Hussain, who was given his MBE by the Queen in 1998 for his community work, including social and educational programs for the borough’s ethnic community, asylum seekers and refugees, said: "They turned the house upside down. Its a horrible thing to happen."

Mr Hussain, who was not properly insured, is now appealing for the medals - that would cost more than £800 each to replace - to be returned.

He said: "These are things of great personal value to me. I am appealing to people who may have stolen them to give them back.

"I don't know what the thieves expect to do with the MBE and mayoral medals, as they have my name on them."

He asked anyone involved with gold to keep their eye out for the medals.

One was a much-loved memory of his late wife, former Sutton mayoress Maqbool Hussain.

The thieves struck at his home in Park Hill Road about 3.30pm on December 22.

It is believed the thieves used a crowbar to force the back door, before smashing the glass of an inner door and kicking in a third door to gain entry.

Police are investigating.

Mr Hussain was Sutton's mayor from 2000-2001 after being elected as a councillor in 1998. He served for eight years.

He set up and ran Sutton Community Transport and helped form policing forum the Sutton Police Community Consultative Forum, which he has been involved in for 26 years.

He has been honorary secretary of the Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association of Sutton for the past 29 years and chairman of the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education in Sutton.

He has done extensive fundraising work for Cancer Research.

His charity, the Sultan Haider Trust, builds schools and installs water pumps in some of the most deprived areas of the developing world.

In December 2002, Prince Charles presented him with an award for excellence for community relations.

Mr Hussain also runs the Voice of Asia radio station - which broadcasts to a global audience -from his home, but thieves did not steal any of the broadcasting equipment.