Hunt for transit van after bronze horse statue stolen from Forde Abbey estate in West Dorset

  • Meridian
The bronze statue was taken from Forde Abbey estate gardens on Tuesday. (26 September) Credit: Dorset Police

Police are hunting for a blue transit van after a giant bronze horse statue was stolen from the historic Forde Abbey estate in West Dorset.

Officers were called to the gardens of the former monastery on Tuesday morning (26 September) to reports a rearing horse statue was taken.

The statue is identifiable through a signature marked ‘Marcia Astor, 2000’.It was reported that a large blue Transit-style van was seen close to the estate and in the village of Thorncombe near the time of the theft.Police Sergeant Natalie Skinner, of Dorset Rural Crime Team, said: “I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the statue being stolen to please contact us.“I also wish to identify the owner of the above-mentioned vehicle sighted in the area at the time and speak to them.“In addition to this, I am reaching out to residents in those areas to please check their home CCTV cameras to see if they have captured anything that may help us identify the vehicle and its owners.”

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