Police are investigating the apparent theft of Wythering pond, which occurred during the small hours of Tuesday morning.
The celebrated duck pond disappeared sometime between pub closing on Monday and the first bus to Froghill at 5.45 the following morning. In its place is now a large hole, several hundreds of feet deep, which is in the process of being fenced off by members of the Royal Engineers.
“It was there when I locked up on Monday night,” said Graham Sturbridge, landlord of the nearby Rising Sun, “and then, on Tuesday morning, we woke up to find it gone.
“When my wife went down to open the front door, she found six ducks on our doorstep, quacking piteously. They had nowhere to go, so we’ve put them in the bath. She feeds them with worms from her mouth.”
Several vehicles had already driven into the hole by first light on Tuesday, necessitating the use of heavy lifting gear to pull them out. One is reported as still missing. A specialist sniffer dog team is being flown in from Switzerland to search for the missing vehicle.
Motorists are being advised to avoid the centre of Wythering unless absolutely necessary, as the pond area is to be cordoned off while the investigation is ongoing.
“We really have very little to go on at the moment,” said Detective Inspector Alan ‘The Hammer’ Hardman of Froghill Police. “At first we thought it was kids, but then we found a ransom note tied to a nearby lamp-post, demanding £50,000 for the pond’s return.
“We are treating the incident as kidnapping.”
Anyone who has any information about the pond’s whereabouts should contact Froghill Police on
0372 51111. Calls may be recorded for entertainment purposes.
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