Heritage crime alert as thieves steal part of grade-II listed wall

Thieves have stolen 40 metres of carved stone from a historic wall in Richmondshire.

They removed the dressed stone from the top of the grade-II listed wall that surrounds park land near the village of Forcett (pictured).

It was reported on Friday (3 June) and the theft is believed to have taken place several days earlier. Police are treating it as a heritage crime.

Officers believe plant machinery would have been used during the theft and are appealing for information, including anyone with dashcam footage showing vehicles or machinery in the area.

Sergeant Mark Wood of Richmond police said: “This is a heritage crime and the scale of the theft suggests several people have been involved.

“The sections of this wall were all hand carved and will be very difficult to replace.”

It’s not the first time historic stone has been stolen in Richmondshire. Several years ago there was a spate of stone thefts in the area.

Sgt Wood added: “Please be vigilant and if vehicles are seen or people are acting suspiciously near to sections of wall that are topped with this type of stone please report any details to the police.”

Anyone with information, including dashcam footage, should email [email protected] or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and select option 1.

You can also contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference 12220095246.