Life-sized plastic gorilla stolen from Frome home in dawn raid

The gorilla could be seen in Chris Moss's pond at the front of his house

A life-sized plastic gorilla has been stolen from a man's home in a dawn raid.

The ape was prised from its pond at the front of Chris Moss's home in Frome, Somerset, by a hooded thief at around 02:00 GMT earlier this month.

Mr Moss described his gorilla as a local landmark, having overlooked the property for two years.

The brazen act was caught on CCTV, with police now appealing for information to catch the suspect.

Mr Moss discovered the gorilla was gone when he got up on Sunday 6 March.

He said he watched the CCTV back and saw the offender attempt to make off with it before fleeing and returning a short time later with "tools to finish the job off".

The thief then slid under his gate and spent "six or seven minutes trying to prise it off".

The alleged thief was caught on camera stealing the gorilla

The antique English clock restorer said the community was "devastated" by the theft.

He said: "It's a proper landmark in Frome.

"It a great big thing and sticks out of the water a good 2ft (0.6m).

"It didn't cost a huge amount but it was of huge sentimental value both for me and everyone in the community."

The gorilla replaced a pink flamingo that was stolen in similar circumstances, prompting Mr Moss to install CCTV and bolt the figure down.

Mr Moss said despite being caught "red-handed" on camera, no one has seen "hide or tail" of the gorilla since.

Mr Moss said the local community was "devastated" by the theft

The stern stare of the gorilla was not enough to deter thieves

He added: "Since it's gone I've had people knocking on the door asking what has happened.

"There's a school down the road and all the kids love the gorilla. People use it to give people directions around Frome.

"I can't believe that it's been stolen.

"I felt devastated, really annoyed and upset when I found out."

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said it had received a report relating to the theft of a large black plastic gorilla and urged anyone with information to contact it.