Appeal as thieves take garden ornaments worth hundreds from garden near Shrewsbury

A number of staddle stones, worth about £200 each, were taken from a garden in the Montford Bridge area, between 8am on January 28 and 7am the following day.

Staddle stones are mushroom-shaped carved stones which were commonly used as struts to support light outbuildings such as granaries, holding the structure above the ground to protect it from vermin and water seepage.

Police believe the stones were taken after a vehicle drove into a neighbouring field to the garden and are calling for anyone who might have seen anything suspicious to come forward.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police's Shrewsbury Rural North and District team said: "We are keen to retrieve these stolen items and return them to their rightful owners. If you are offered a staddle stone from a disreputable person or come across some at local auctions please contact 101 and quote incident number 170S of January 30, and we can carry out further inquires."

"We would also encourage anyone who owns staddle stones or garden ornaments to try and mark them in some form.

"This makes them identifiable and easy to return to legitimate owners should they go missing."

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org