A DOCTOR at York Hospital has issued an urgent plea for the safe return of her laptop - which contains vital medical information - after it stolen was stolen from her home by burglars.

Dr Chetan Ruprai, 28, a specialist registrar who works in the hospital's maternity ward, is desperate to get her computer back.

The machine contains three years worth of painstaking medical research which cannot be replaced and is vital to her career.

The laptop was stolen when her hospital accommodation in Bootham Park was burgled between 2am and 6am yesterday morning.

Dr Ruprai said: "I came down in the morning and saw my back door had been forced open.

"They had been through my work bag and my wallet, cards and some cash were gone. But the worst thing is my laptop - because there was three years' work on there and it's irreplaceable."

She said there was no way she could get back the medical projects, presentations and research in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in which she works, and she didn't have back up copies of most of it.

"It's absolutely vital for the progress of my career," she said. "I just want it back."

The computer is a silver Sharp laptop from America, which was a present from Dr Ruprai's father and cannot be bought in this country. It has a 15ins screen and no distinguishing marks or features.

The burglar had emptied and stolen Dr Ruprai's gym bag, so she believes they may have carried it off in that. The bag is a black rucksack with Alpine Mountain written on it.

She said: "They can keep my laptop, that's fine, but if they could just make a copy of my work and send it back. They don't even have to give it back to me. They could just leave it somewhere and let me know where it is, or hand it in to The Press.

"This is very distressing and I will do anything I have to to get it back."

The theft has been reported to the police, who are investigating.

Anyone with information should phone York Police on 0845 60 60 247.