A HUGE stone otter which has graced the archway to Marsden Park, Nelson, for more than 150 years has been stolen.

The otter, worth £1,000, was perched above the Walton Lane entrance to the courtyard at Marsden Hall. It vanished over the weekend.

Parks manager Fred Stewart says the unique statue weighed at least two hundredweight and would have needed a team of thieves with a vehicle.

He said: "It is such a shame. The archway had only just been cleaned and rebuilt. The otter is unique. I hope we get it back."

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.