Signed Damien Hirst print stolen at Wolves charity auction in Telford

A signed limited edition Damien Hirst print worth thousands of pounds has been stolen from a celebrity charity auction in Telford during Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club's annual dinner.

Hirst's silkscreen skull print was stolen from a table at Telford's International Centre after Wolves's end of season dinner on Wednesday night.

The £2,000 print, entitled For The Love Of God, was taken from one of nine tables displaying 40 auction items outside the main dining hall.

The tables were being looked after by five members of staff from the auction organisers, a company called Superstars, in the centre's hallway when the theft happened sometime between 12.10am and 12.20am on Thursday.

A spokesman for the football club said they would not be commenting on the theft, but added cash raised on the night would be going to their Wolves Aid charity.

Tim Terry, managing director of Superstars, said: "It happened after the main room emptied and someone just walked off with it. It is a highly collectable piece.

"There were 40 items over a 50ft space and someone just literally walked off with it and we were raising funds for the club's charities."

The end of season dinner saw some tickets for the event costing up to £2,000 for a table of eight.

Denise Wakefield, spokeswoman for Telford police, said: "Unfortunately due to the high volume of people in the area, no members of staff saw the print being taken."

The print is described as being 16ins by 12 ins in size.

Contact police on 0300 3333000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.