Hartland Point Lighthouse: £5k reward offered for stolen lantern

The lantern was due to be reinstalled after undergoing refurbishment at Qubik Space storage facility at Mullacott near Ilfracombe

Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to £5,000 for information about the theft of a rare lighthouse lantern worth more than £1m.

The Hartland Point Lighthouse lantern was in storage for refurbishment when it was stolen on 24 January.

The theft has been linked to a series of high-value burglaries in north Devon, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Crimestoppers said it was a "race against time" to stop it from being melted down.

The lantern, only three of its kind, is made of 12 separate brass frames and sections of curved cut glass, and weighs more than two tonnes.

The lantern, originally used in the Hartland Point Lighthouse, dated back to the 1800s

A man in his 30s, from the West Midlands, was arrested on suspicion of burglary as part of the investigation, and has since been released on police bail, pending further inquiries, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

However, Crimestoppers said it feared the lantern could have been moved from Devon to the West Mercia, West Midlands or Bristol areas.

It said the reward was for information given to them exclusively that leads to the return of the stolen lighthouse equipment and the conviction of those responsible, and that information passed directly to police will not qualify for the reward.

Mick Duthie, director of operations at the charity Crimestoppers, said: "It's so incredibly important for us to protect our precious heritage and that includes key historic structures such as lighthouses on our coastline.

"It's sad to think that criminals have stolen vital equipment dating back to the 1800s - one of only three in the world.

"Our charity is here to help and gives people the option of staying completely anonymous whilst doing the right thing."

Anybody with any information is asked to contact the police by calling 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.