VILLAGERS in Old Down are desperate to find their treasured flower trough after it was prised off the ground and stolen in the middle of the night by vandals.

The century-old landmark placed at the entrance of the hamlet next to the old pump was noticed missing on the morning of Wednesday, May 16.

It is believed the pennet stone trough, which was cemented to the ground, was ripped off with a crowbar and dragged across the grass to a car or van.

Brian Buckley, the former owner of the Fox Inn, had been in charge of renovating the trough in 1983. He and his wife Blodwyn have been looking after it ever since and tending to the flowers planted in it.

He told the Gazette he realised the village’s cherished trough was gone at around 11am on Wednesday.

"I’m absolutely furious and gutted that people could come round and steal such a thing. The flowers were chucked away under the hedge. It’s quite despicable.

"They dragged it and rolled it in the grass. You can see the marks in the grass. I assume they had a van to carry it away because of the sheer weight of it."

The trough is so heavy that Mr Buckley had to get the help of three other people just to lift it when he took on the task of restoring it.

"It was dilapidated and I renovated it, painted it and I looked after it all these years," the 75-year-old added. "As you enter Old Down the first thing you see is the pump, the bench, and the flowers and trough. We are hoping to retrieve it."

The trough was donated to Old Down by a villager around 100 years ago and was the pride of its residents, Mr Buckley added.

It was always a much-appreciated historical and aesthetic feature at the Best Kept Village competition.

"It looks awful at the moment," he said. "The Best Kept Village competition is in July but without its water trough it will look terrible."

Neighbourhood PC Neil Whyman said: “This is a heavy trough so we believe the thieves would have needed more than one person and a vehicle to remove it. We have carried out house-to-house enquiries and I would appeal for anyone with any information to contact us by calling 101. Alternatively ring the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”