A CD collection worth £15,000 has been stolen in a burglary.

Owner Martin Thomas says it is as if the soundtrack of his life has been taken.

Swindon College lecturer Mr Thomas, 45, returned to his Pembroke Street home after work on Wednesday to find it had been broken into.

The shelves had been cleared of 1,000 compact discs, collected over 20 years.

He said: "I was horrified I had been collecting since CDs were first introduced.

"Some were limited editions or discs which are no longer made, and will be impossible to replace.

"There were also discs I bought while on holiday in foreign countries.

"But when you come home and see the shelves empty, you wonder what's the point of trying to replace them.

"If burglars take a CD player you can get another one, but a collection like this is the soundtrack of your life.

"It's your memories, your holidays, the music that was playing."

Included among the collection are complete sets of the works of artistes such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Martyn.

The burglary happened last week when Mr Thomas was at work teaching history and politics.

He said: "Somebody came through my neighbour's back garden through a broken gate.

"They put a crowbar against my door and split the frame.

"A lot of force must have been used because a deadlock had been bent right round."

Mr Thomas suspects whoever was responsible knew exactly what they were looking for.

The CD player itself was untouched, as was a camera nearby, and Mr Thomas believes large bags and a vehicle of some sort must have been needed to remove the discs.

Mr Thomas hopes his insurance company will reimburse him for the cash value of the missing discs, but says no amount of money can compensate him for the loss of the collection.

Police are investigating the burglary, and can be contacted on Swindon 528111. Alternatively, anybody with information can also contact the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on (0800) 555 111.