Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab! It’s a case that PC Murdoch would have been proud to solve.
An Oor Wullie statue stolen from a garden in Edzell in February could soon be returning to Angus after an unexpected trip to the north east of Scotland.
Isla Johnstone’s prized ornament was stolen overnight from outside her front door in her home in the village’s High Street.
It shows Wullie sitting on his bucket polishing his boot with a toe poking out from a hole in his sock.
Now police have reported that a Wullie statue was found in a van containing 33 gnomes and other garden ornaments in Banff in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Grampian Police released an image of the haul in an attempt to reunite gnomes with their owners.
The unusual identity parade immediately pricked the interest of locals in the Angus village.
Mrs Johnstone’s daughter, Lynne, was contacted by several folk in Edzell who recognised the ornament from our report.
She has informed police and the family are now hoping to soon be reunited with the comic-strip favourite.
Mrs Johnstone returned from a holiday in Tenerife that marked her 70th birthday to be greeted with the news her statue may have been found.
She said: “When it was taken I initially thought it might have been a joke played by a relative or some of the regulars at the Panmure Arms in the village, but no-one owned up, so I contacted police.
“I couldn’t believe it was taken as it is 2ft high, made out of concrete and very heavy to lift. It was a gift from my daughter and has stood outside my house for the past 11 years.
“I read Oor Wullie every week and was very attached to it. The sculpture came with his pet mouse Jeemy and the thieves left him behind.
“He’s been missing Wullie and I have too.
“I’ve had people walking through Edzell in the summer asking me if they could photograph Wullie before.
“It’s a very colourful, cheerful statue and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is mine so he can come home.”
Grampian Police said three men were helping them with their inquiries.