Kevin Parker went to son Jake's grave in Doddington Road Cemetery, Wellingborough, on the eighth anniversary of his death and discovered the theft.

Jake, who was eight years old when he died, was a fan of Disney's Toy Story and his family had put Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Slinky Head and Mr Potatohead figures from the film beside his headstone.

Mr Parker said: "It is disgusting and the person who did this is disgusting. Stealing from children is bad enough but stealing from a dead child is totally out of order.

"I went to the grave to clean it up before family and friends arrived with flowers. I wanted it to be presentable for everyone.

"This is heart-breaking for me."

Jake disappeared from a beach in Brancaster in Norfolk in August 2000, as he played at the water's edge on a day out with his parents.

Police, coastguards and more than 100 volunteers spent four days searching for him.

His body was eventually found floating in the sea.

The stretch of the Norfolk coast where Jake drowned is a notorious spot for strong currents and had claimed the lives of two children four years before.

Mr Parker planned a series of special tributes to Jake to mark the eighth anniversary of his son's death on August 13.

Family and friends paid their tributes at the grave and Mr Parker travelled to the coast to mark the anniversary.

But the theft of the toys put a blot on the day.

A spokesman for Wellingborough Council said it is not responsible for burial plots and memorials and that all articles put there are at the owners' risk.

The spokesman added: "However, we are very disappointed that people do not respect the final resting places of our loved ones."