Hunt for thieves who stole three large bronze statues of a stag, two deer and a wishing well worth £12,000 from a rural garden

Police are hunting thieves who stole three large bronze statues of a stag, two deer and a wishing well worth £12,000 from a rural garden after the bandits managed to swipe the artwork without damaging the electric gate or protective wall.

The theft, which took place in the hamlet of Stone Hill near Sellindge, Kent, is believed to have happened between 7.30pm on April 4 and 6.30am the next morning.

Owner of the rural farm Joanne Wootten, 51, has been left baffled as to how the burglars got away with them.

She estimates that the stag weighs 300kgs (47 stone), and had to be installed using a forklift truck.

The wishing well scene was a similar weight and it took six adults to install it in its position separated from the road by a small stream.

According to Ms Wootten, to get the bronze statues across the stream, the thieves would have had to use a small wooden footbridge only wide enough for two people.

She said: ‘The night before my son and daughter were driving home and it was raining heavy. My daughter came in and said “someone is lying underneath the stag”.

‘The stag is right outside the living room window and we said “do not be silly”. We just assumed it was the glare from the lights and the rain on the base of the stag.

‘Unfortunately, we ignored it but now we know there probably was someone checking to see if they were bolted to the ground.’

Mrs Wootten, owner of Brabourne’s Blue Anchor Pub, has appealed to pub patrons and ‘Nextdoor’ neighbourhood social media app users for information, but so far there have been no further details about who has taken the items.

Her neighbours also do not report hearing anything out of the ordinary.

She added: ‘It is scary and I feel like my home has been invaded even though they did not come into the house.

‘We are constantly looking out the window now and I have ordered more CCTV cameras.’

She added: ‘It is almost like they were beamed out of the sky.’

Kent Police are investigating the theft.