Search for the Gruffalo after stealing statues from the park

The search for the Gruffalo continues after the character is among nine wooden statues stolen from a park in Greater Manchester.

The life-size figures were taken from Clifton Country Park in Salford sometime overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Police have appealed for anyone with CCTV footage of the area to come forward and are also searching for a vehicle that entered the park’s parking area at around 16:00 GMT on Thursday.

The Gruffalo, inspired by the words of the authorities Posted on Facebook: “He has two large, curved horns on the top of his head, his eyes are orange, and his tongue is black, he has a poisonous wart on the end of his nose and bright purple thorns on his back. But where is he?”

The sculptures are part of the park’s Fairy Tale Trail, which was opened by Salford City Council in 2017.

It was partly funded by the Friends of Clifton Country Park group, and includes wooden animals, mythological characters and a fairy house.

The statues were installed on the route last year after some of the previous features were stolen.

in AugustCouncilor Barbara Bentham, the council’s lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety, said: “We are thrilled to be restoring the Fairy Tale Trail.

“We are dedicated to maintaining our parks and green spaces, and even though we faced the challenge of the stolen statues, we are proud to replace them promptly.”

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson has sold over 18 million copies worldwide since it was published in 1999 and has also been made into a BBC animation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Greater Manchester Police.