A Dundee antiques store owner has appealed to thieves to return two rare statues stolen from outside his shop.
Derek Pook owns Clepington Antiques and Collectables on Byron Street and was featured on Celebrity Antiques Roadtrip on October 7, with Judy Murray paying a visit to his shop.
His joy was curtailed when, just weeks after the episode aired, thieves targeted his shop and stole the pair of 1970s collectables.
Derek said the quirky statues, of a waiter and a female cook measuring around three feet tall, were not for sale but were displayed outside the shop and very popular with local children.
He said: “I was sitting inside the shop yesterday with the door shut because of the cold.
“Around lunchtime I got a phone call from someone asking if the statues had gone, because the person had seen them being carried away by two guys in high vis jackets.
“I don’t know who the call came from, maybe a customer or a local – the statues were popular with passers-by including children walking to school, who would stop and pat their heads.
“One of them is of a little old man dressed as a waiter and of a woman with her arms out, as though she’s carrying a tray.
“They’re a set and would’ve been the kind of thing that was quite popular for displaying in shops and outside people’s houses in the 1970s.
“They’re not particularly valuable, maybe worth around £60 to £80 each but they’re quite rare and it would be nice to have them back.”
Derek said he didn’t have a description of the thieves but has contacted police in the hope they’ll be able to trace the culprits, who were seen running towards the Law.
“It’s disappointing that someone would do that”, Derek added.
“We’ve been at Byron Street for 18 months and we’ve had hanging baskets stolen too.
“It’s not the monetary value that bothers me, it’s just disheartening that you’re trying to make the place look nice and people wreck it.
“I’m hoping the theft of the statues was just high jinks – I don’t even want the thieves prosecuted, I’d just like the statues back.”
