A VALUABLE statue has been stolen from a National Trust garden.

The five foot Shephard Boy statue, estimated to be worth £4,000, was taken from Nymans, near Handcross.

Located in the Sunk Garden, the statue had been at the property since the 1980s.

It is a lead copy of an 18th century original, which is thought to be worth £20,000.

The Messel family, a German Jewish family which bought the Nymans estate in the late 19th century and have built it up since, brought the statue to the garden in the late 1980s.

It has featured in numerous wedding photographs over the summer with the Sunk Garden a popular location for ceremonies with its pristine yew hedges.

In February this year, conservation experts painstakingly moved the statue from the property's Wall Garden after carrying out extensive restoration work.

Katherine Mills, National Trust general manager for Nymans, said: “We are saddened to confirm that a statue was stolen from Nymans during the early hours of Thursday September 1.

"The Shepherd Boy statue has been at Nymans since the 1980s, when it was acquired by a member of the Messel family.

"It is a lead copy of an 18th century original and was in our Sunk Garden.

"This is a much loved part of the garden, partially encircled by yew hedges, where we hold wedding ceremonies.

"It is particularly upsetting given the hard work and dedication put in by so many staff and volunteers in looking after this special place for our visitors. We are all grateful to Sussex Police for their support.”

PC Ben Gould said: "This is a valuable statue which we have not been able to find. If you know where it is or have any information, please contact us."

A 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl both from Crawley have been arrested on suspicion of theft and released on bail until October 14.

Anyone with any information about the theft last Thursday should email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or ring 101 quoting serial 48 of 1/9.