Owner back from holiday finds gates stolen after years of work on chapel

But that was the case in Four Crosses, near Llanymynech, when one man returned from a break to find two iron gates on the front of a chapel he owns had been stolen at Domgay House.

Mike Palfreyman, who has lived in the Shropshire border village for 12 years had been away and didn't make the discovery immediately.

He was informed by someone who carries out work at his property, and he was left perplexed by the theft which he believes had been pre-planned.

He said: "I had been away for a while and come back to find this had happened.

"I had someone doing a bit of work in the garden and they had asked if I had taken the gates off to have work done to them, that is when I discovered they had been removed.

"I couldn't have been an opportunity theft because those gates are quite heavy.

"For my age I am quite a fit man, but I wouldn't be able to lift the gates on my own, it would take more than one person.

"It was just a strange one to understand really, and I would just like to appeal to get them back."

At the time Mr Palfreyman had been coming to the end a restoration of his house and the former chapel that had taken him 12 years.

He said the gates would have got little value for scrap and can't understand why someone who steal them.

He added: "The theft has come right at the end of a 12-year restoration of the whole property.

"The gates had been back in place for no more than a few weeks and despite my attempts at security arrangements, they had been taken.

"The gates were worth about £30 at scrap which makes them pointless, but for me it would probably cost about £3,000 to replace.

"It isn't ideal especially after all the work that has already been carried out."

Welshpool Police have appealed for information and tweeted last week for anyone to contact them. Call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org