A thief put a dampener on an already wet Jubilee street party by stealing road signs.

The ‘road closed’ signs and barriers were on loan for the day from a local building company as the street enjoyed celebrating the jubilee.

But at the end of the party, an unknown man in a Volvo came and said he was there to collect the signs.

Unsuspecting residents presumed the man was genuine and let him drive off with the signs.

Organiser Marshall Mahendran said: “I was absolutely gutted.

“It is atrocious that someone could do that.

“He did not have anything official on him. He just pulled up in a Volvo.”

Mr Mahendran said he had been unable to originally get any road closed signs from Adur District Council.

Instead fellow resident Mary Watts was able to secure two signs and four barriers from a building company she used to work for.

She said: “I used to work there so they were happy for me to borrow them.

“I was not very happy about them going missing but it is what happens nowadays.

“I did not realise until the following day.”

Mr Mahendran said he had not bought theft insurance as he did not imagine anything untoward would happen.

Charity fund-raiser

About 100 people had enjoyed the festivities, which raised £228 for the charity Mind.

There were fears the money would have to be used to cover the losses but Mr Mahendran confirmed that the building company, which asked to remain anonymous, had decided to absorb the cost itself.

Some Diamond Jubilee parties are still yet to go ahead, with Milton Road in Worthing and West Quay in Newhaven holding celebrations on Saturday, June 9.

Meanwhile, pyrotechnic expert Michael Lakin is celebrating after his company Starlight put on the spectacular firework display at the end of the Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace.

The Midhurst resident said it was the proudest moment of his career as 4,000 fireworks shot skyward at a rate of 20 a second.