Esh's Owl Stolen

 The owl carving in the centre of Esh village has been stolen. It disappeared on Monday night, dug up from it's concrete base on the turning circle at the bottom of Hall Road; the second theft of communal property in the past two months. The first was the theft of one of the half barrels at the eastern entrance to the village used for planting bedding plants and box, which the Residents' Association replaced during our planting project a couple of weeks ago.

The police have been enormously supportive in pursuing the disappearance of the owl, donated to the village by local craftsman Lee Hoskins, as has the local pub, The Cross Keys, who have made their surveillance footage of the area available for scrutiny. If anyone has any information about the theft of the owl, please do get in touch with Durham Constabulary by telephoning 101, or 0345 6060365 if you are calling from outside County Durham or Darlington (calls cost a flat rate of 15p).

Esh is proud to have Lee's work on display and the owl has become something of an icon as residents work together to make the village an even better environment in which to live, work, and play. These petty thefts are a sad indicator, however, that not everybody shares our commitment to, and values of, local community; please do remain vigilant in the protection of your own, and others', property.