Search for Gruffalo after statues stolen from park

The distinctive statue was among nine taken from a park in Salford

The search is on to find the Gruffalo after the character was among nine wooden statues stolen from a park in Greater Manchester.

The life-sized carved figures were taken from Clifton Country Park in Salford at some stage overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Police have appealed for anyone with CCTV footage from the area to come forward and are also searching for a vehicle described as entering the park's parking area at about 16:00 GMT on Thursday.

Inspired by words from The Gruffalo, officers posted on Facebook: "He has two large, curved horns on the top of his head, his eyes are orange, and his tongue is black, he has a poisonous wart on the end of his nose and bright purple prickles on his back BUT WHERE IS HE?"

The sculptures are part of the park's Fairy Tale Trail, which was opened by Salford City Council in 2017.

It was part-funded by the Friends of Clifton Country Park group, and features wooden animals, mythical characters, and a fairy house.

The sculptures are part of the park's Fairy Tale Trail, which was opened in 2017

The wooden pieces feature animals, mythical characters, and a fairy house

The statues were installed on the route after previous examples were stolen last year

The statues were installed on the route after some previous features were stolen last year.

Councillor Barbara Bentham, the council's lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety, said staff and volunteers were "truly devastated".

"It appears the thieves used a vehicle to access the park, cutting through chains and locks on the park gate and used significant heavy-duty tools to dig out the sculptures and cut through the steel rods that were used to secure them in position," she said.

"This deplorable act of theft and vandalism in the park has robbed families and walkers of the chance of enjoying these beautifully carved sculptures ."

Since The Gruffalo was published by Julia Donaldson in 1999 it has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide and has also been made into a BBC animation.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Greater Manchester Police.