A LARGE statue was stolen from estate gardens in West Dorset.

The bronze statue, of a rearing horse, was taken from the grounds of the Forde Abbey Estate, near Chard, some time between 10pm on Tuesday (September 26) and 8am the following morning.

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 said.

Sergeant Natalie Skinner, of the 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.”

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police via www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 55230153344. They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The statue, stolen from the Forde Abbey Estate gardens, near Chard. Picture: Dorset Police