Thieves target village signs

Levisham is one of the villages to have its sign stolen

A number of North Yorkshire villages have lost their identity.

At least 10 place name signs have been stolen from villages in Ryedale close to the North York Moors.

Sergeant Cliff Evans of Malton Police said: "This is a very annoying situation.

"The thieves are targeting the old cast iron village name plates with reflective beads on the letters and passing them on as collectors' items."

Car boot sale

The villages which have lost their signs are Welburn, Cropton, Appleton-le-Moors, Fadmoor, Lastingham, Wrelton, Ampleforth, Low Mill, Little Barugh and Levisham.

Sergeant Evans said the sign from Levisham, which is one of the stops on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, was recovered from the Midlands after it was spotted on a railway memorabilia website.

The person selling it had in turn bought it innocently at a car boot sale in Shropshire.

He added: "We would ask all local villagers to be alert and report any suspicious activity.

"If signs relating to North Yorkshire villages are being offered for sale, there is every possibility they have been stolen."