A complete collection of Harry Potter books with sentimental value were accidentally donated to charity - but now a Dad and daughter duo are appealing to get them back.

After a clear-out of their house in Dundee, Billy Shepherd and his 16-year-old daughter, Hannah, were devastated when they realised her collection of all seven books was missing. 

The books had somehow found their way into the 'to donate' pile - but that's the last thing either of them would have wanted.

Although they weren’t first edition, they were of immense sentimental value to the pair, as they belonged to Hannah’s mother, Veronica, who passed away from cancer at the age of 45. 

READ MORE: NHS charity single among winners in Scots Trad Music Awards

The books, cherished by Hannah, were adored by both mother and daughter as she was growing up and have been held dear since Veronica’s passing four years ago.

For Hannah, the books hold such value because they were left to her by her mum.

“We used to read them together”, she explained. "I definitely remember reading The Philosopher's Stone with her, and her mum - my gran - used to read the books too.”

She added: “There aren't enough words to say how much it would mean to get them back.

”Harry Potter was one of the big connections I had with my mum and I felt like I'd lost a part of her I found out the books were gone.”

The Herald: Dad Billy Shepherd with his daughters Hannah, 16 (right) and Leah, 18 (left)Dad Billy Shepherd with his daughters Hannah, 16 (right) and Leah, 18 (left)

Hannah’s father, Billy, said they were distraught when they realised what happened.

He said: “The books were a big thing for Hannah, and a big thing for her mum, so because her mum had bought these books and they both shared a common interest in them, they’ve got a lot of sentimental value.

“She’s not kept a great deal from her Mum, but those in particular are very special.”

With with no sign of them in the shop, Mr Shepherd took to social media to appeal to the public for help.

READ MORE: Graham McTavish: Outlander star on his trip from Barra to Lewis

“As soon as we realised we went straight down to the shop hoping that they were still in the back shop, but we quickly spotted some other things we had donated that were already out.”

“Since we put it on facebook, plenty of people have been getting in touch, and we’ve had plenty offers of replacement books - but it’s the sentimental value of the books, it’s not really the books themselves as such.

The post, appealing to the facebook community, reads: "Can any of my Facebook friends help me? Did you buy a collection of Harry Potter paperbacks and hardbacks in the Cancer Research charity shop in Brook St., Broughty Ferry this week? Would have been between 7th and 10th December.

"They were donated by mistake, in with some other stuff, and Hannah is heartbroken as they were left to her by her mum.

"It's a long shot but if you can share this post we might be lucky enough to buy them back."

Mr Shepherd, 55, has even said he’s happy to buy them back or offering to replace them with an alternative complete set of the J.K Rowling books.

“It’s because they belonged to Hannah’s mum that we want them back."