Exeter sculptures worth £10,000 stolen from their plinths on woodland trail

Wooden sculptures worth around £10,000 have been stolen from their plinths on a woodland trail near Exeter, Devon.

Each of the sculptures featured an animal head and were on display as part of a walking trail on Darts Farm in Topsham.

The heads were chopped off using a chainsaw, leaving just the plinths.

Sculptor Brendan Rawlings from Zen Wood Design said times are hard enough for artists at the moment and this has made matters worse: “We're self employed and it's often a case of 'Are we going to be able to make the mortgage this month?'

“Anytime I read about local builders vans being broken into and their tools being stolen it breaks my heart, you know, these guys are just out there trying to earn a living.

"And I'm the same you know, I'm just trying to do my little bit to make a living and support the family.

"There's also the fact that you're obviously hoping that you might get some commissions off the back of the sculpture trail and keep things ticking along and that's also been sort of snatched away."

Devon and Cornwall Police are investigating the theft which happened sometime between Sunday 7 July and Monday 8 July.

Mr Rawlings added: “I'm gutted from an artist's point of view because they've chopped the heads off the sculptures and part of the beauty of them is they are sat on plinths of the wood that they are carved from, so it's made from one piece of wood.

“I was looking forward to showing them off, followers have been asking for more than a year when can I see them, when will they be on display and they've only been there a couple of days and they've had their heads chopped off.”

Mr Rawlings said he hopes people will look at the dozens of pictures of the carvings on his website and contact police if they know anything about the thefts.

He said: “Just do the right thing. You know, it's as simple as that. Everyone knows what's right and what's wrong in life.

"Do you stand by the sidelines and keep your mouth shut or do you just do the right thing, clear your conscience and do the right thing?”