TWO bronze deer scultpures worth £4,000 have been stolen from a garden in Heywood.

The sculptures were given to David Raines as a belated surprise wedding present from his wife Jenny in 2004, after the pair married in 2002.

Mrs Raines bought them at an auction in Shaw for £4,000, when Mr Raines was working as a consultant in Iraq rebuilding schools and health centres damaged in conflict.

Police were alerted to the theft, which took place in on March 22, after a gardener working on the Raines' Dursley Road home spotted they were missing.

Mr Raines said: “We were deeply saddened when we discovered that the sculptures had been stolen, they were very sentimental gifts.

“We have a lovely garden and Jenny wanted to find something special to surprise me with when I was away in Iraq.

“They are very heavy so it probably required a minimum of two people to transport them to a vehicle on the road, which implies that it was a targeted theft.

“We had installed metal rods into the feet of the sculptures as well to make them even more difficult to move.

“We have CCTV cameras with infrared, which we are going to look through with police.”

If you saw anything suspicious or have any information, contact PCSO 6009 Wright on 101.