Bear plaque returns a year after disappearance

Councillor Stephen Fenton welcomed the return of the plaque

A plaque stolen from a "much-loved" city statue a year ago has been returned.

The brass plaque was taken from the bear sculpture in Chalfonts, a cul-de-sac off Tadcaster Road in York, on 5 November last year - but reappeared earlier this week.

It marks an Award for Good Design granted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in the 1960s when the housing estate was built.

City of York councillor Stephen Fenton welcomed the return of the plaque to its "rightful place".

He said: "It was desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away.

"It's fantastic that someone seems to have done the decent thing and returned it so that it can be put back where it belongs."

When the plaque disappeared last year, North Yorkshire Police released an appeal describing the statue as a "prominent and much-loved local landmark".

The Chalfonts homes were built in the 1960s but it is not clear why the bear was placed in the residential area.

Speaking after the plaque's disappearance last year, Mr Fenton said: "It's one of these strange stories that no-one knows why.

"The bear looks sad and lonely but it's a striking statue."

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