Stolen Walberswick village sign back on display

Lea and Philip Newstead were guests of honour at the unveiling of the sign

A village sign which was made for the Queen's Coronation in 1953 but stolen in the 1980s is back on display.

Lea and Philip Newstead had bought the sign in London in the mid 1990s, without knowing it had been stolen from Walberswick in Suffolk.

They donated it back to the village and were guests of honour on Saturday as the restored sign was unveiled.

Mr Newstead said: "The sign was made for the Coronation and has come back for the Jubilee."

The couple had paid about £180 for the sign, which has the locally-made HMS Basing as its centrepiece.

They said they did not know Walberswick existed until they passed a sign to the village en route to a holiday in Norfolk.

Mrs Newstead said: "It needed a lot of work when we had it - it was in our garden and nearly became a feature of our pond."

The couple said they had received a "fantastic" welcome to Walberswick.

The restored sign is now located opposite the village church.