Stolen sculpture 'worth £3 million'

The sculpture is one of six on public display and as well as the monetary worth, it has great emotional and sentimental value to the family.

“We feel for Sir Henry Keswick who has continued to display the sculptures outdoors for all to see, despite them previously being damaged, and to now have one stolen is sickening.

“In this early stage of the investigation we have not discounted any line of enquiry. We are open minded with regards to the motive, the thieves could have targeted it for the value of the artwork or purely for its scrap metal value.

“It would have required some effort to remove the sculpture from the rock it was attached to and the weight of it would’ve meant a vehicle would have been needed to transport it.

“We would ask anyone who witnessed any suspicious vehicles in the area recently, including vans and larger vehicles, to get in touch. Often thieves will scope out a potential target by visiting it several times in the lead up to the incident. If you have seen anything out of place in the area in the past few weeks please contact us. Alternatively, if you have actually seen the sculpture since the theft please call police on 101.”