“Irreplaceable” family photos and children’s toys were taken from a garage mistakenly cleared out by council contractors.

Ceri Holland rents the garage in Plas Madoc from Wrexham Council but when contract workers were clearing a flat above the garage, they also took all her belongings from it by mistake.

Ms Holland said: “I went in there and it was completely empty.

“My initial thought was that everything had been stolen but one of the neighbours told me they saw [them] emptying it out.

“They even gave some of my things away to people in the street.

“They removed everything on November 20 but I didn’t know until later because I had not been in there for a while.

“There are some things I can replace but some of it I will not be able to.

“The council says I was the only one with a key to the garage so I’m not even sure how they got in.

“There were photos of my gran, who died when I was 17, and other photo albums including from my mum’s wedding.”

Ms Holland said she had also moved a number of her son’s old toys in there to make room in her house for Christmas presents.

Other items stored in the garage included a fridge freezer, lawnmower, Christmas decorations, tools, a vacuum cleaner and fishing equipment.

She added: “The total cost of possible replaceable items comes to £5,856 but I will not settle for this.

“Since opening my garage I’ve not slept properly as the items that are irreplaceable are causing me so much emotional stress.

“I will never be able to get any of my memories back or my irreplaceable belongings. It’s just unbelievable.”

A Wrexham Council spokesman said: “We are undertaking a joint investigation on this matter with the contractor concerned.

“We will be contacting Miss Holland with a full resolution as soon as we have the full details.”