A COUPLE have been left fuming after thieves stole more than ten valuable chimney pots worth £1,000.

Thieves struck two weeks ago when they broke through locked gates, into the garden of Enid and John Scotford, of Upton Road, Atherton, and stole four original glazed chimney pots.

And last week, the thieves returned and stole seven more chimney pots -- despite the fact that the pots were all chained together.

The couple estimate it will cost at least £96 each to replace all 11 chimney pots, which they have been collecting for 25 years. And they believe that the burglars were stealing their chimney pots "to order".

Enid told the Journal: "I am upset and sickened to think of someone coming into my garden in the dead of night to satisfy their own selfish needs. After the first robbery, I moved the chimney pots to the back of the bungalow out of sight and chained together but this did not stop them. I had just filled the chimney pots full of plants for my summer display.

"These chimney pots are hugely collectable at the moment, because a lot of people are into making their house look more retro.

"I know someone who has had the ornaments on top of his gateposts stolen, which will cost £3,000 to replace. It will not only cost us a lot of money to replace the chimney pots, but also for all the security measures we have had to make since the robbery."