Police today appealed for witnesses after a bronze statue was stolen from a gallery in Woodstock.

At 12.53pm yesterday, a man entered the Iona House Gallery on the High Street. While the assistant was busy serving another customer, he stole a bronze statue of a horse, which the gallery was exhibiting on behalf of an artist.

The man is white, believed to be in his sixties, and was wearing a knee length green Macintosh-style coat and a black beanie-style hat.

PC Beth Potter said: “We have some CCTV from the shop, which is currently being analysed to see whether the man can be identified. The statue is distinctive and is worth nearly £3,000.

“I would urge anyone with any information about this theft to contact me via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505."

If you don’t want to speak to the police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.