A SINISTER kidnap plot has left regulars at a pub looking over their shoulders for the culprit.

The owners of the Royal Hotel, in Waterfoot, are now trying to trace the cheeky prankster who stole Tony, the pub's miniature model mascot, from their restaurant.

Smartly-dressed Tony has been a talking point at the Royal for 20 years as he stood on the pub bar, raising a glass to his mouth, and is already being missed by regulars. Tony has always been a model employee, carrying out his duty of greeting customers with panache.

One regular, who refused to be named for fear of reprisals from the plotters, said: "We are hoping it is only a bit of crack, but we can't be sure.

"We have a few characters that come in here. I wouldn't like to say which one of them might be responsible."

Recently Tony was moved into the ground floor restaurant, from where he disappeared some time last week.

Staff on duty in the restaurant saw nothing and there are no leads as to his whereabouts.

The mystery deepened when a Mafia-style letter containing a photograph of bound and gagged Tony, minus his trilby hat, was delivered to the Royal's joint owner Paul Stannard.

The note, made up of letters cut out of newspapers, reads: 'We hava a fata Tony, do asa we saya or he willa sleepa witha de fishas.'

Paul is missing Tony more than anyone. He said: "This has caused a great deal of amusement among our customers and staff and I am not treating it seriously. It is just a good laugh.

This is not the first time that a member of the hotel's staff has fallen foul of Waterfoot's criminal underworld. Paul is hoping that the outcome of this escapade will not be the same as the previous occasion.

"We think the culprit is probably one of our younger customers trying to wind us up.

"I am wondering if Tony was taken by the same person who stole a model of a chef from the Royal sometime ago.

"The chef was photographed outside Chester Zoo and later returned to us by being dumped in our car park.

"It had been sawn in half."

Now Paul and the rest of his staff are anxiously waiting for more news and are hoping that the situation can be resolved without any further harm to Tony. The perpetrators of this sinister plot are no dummies and bringing them to justice and returning Tony to the safety of his familiar surroundings may be too tough.

The police are also stumped as to his whereabouts. A spokesman for Pennine Division said: "Kidnap is always a distressing crime, particularly for the victim's families.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation and leave no stone unturned in our search for Tony."

Tony is described as being 3ft tall, with dark hair and a dark moustache, wearing a blue suit and a happy smile. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Royal Hotel as soon as possible.