THE owner of the damaged Dog and Partridge pub has suffered another setback — after thieves stole a huge sign from the premises.

The town centre pub has been closed since an incident in November which saw a Land Rover smash into the side of the building in Manor Street, causing serious damage to its structures.

The driver of the Land Rover, Craig Durham, was found dead at his Farnworth barber’s business earlier this year.

Pub boss Neil Piper, who narrowly avoided being hit by the car during the crash, has been out of work since the pub was forced to close and said thieves have regularly broken into the empty building.

In the latest incident, a 10ft by 20 ft sign, which was placed just above the spot where the car struck has been stolen.

Mr Piper, aged 34, who lived at the pub before the crash, and has since been residing with friends, said: “We have had about ten break-ins since the pub has been closed and the police are yet to get anyone for them.

“I really cannot understand why anyone would want to steal a huge Perspex sign with the Dog and Partridge name on it — it is just madness and I really feel like I can’t win at the moment.

“A couple of us previously tried to take it down and it was too big and heavy for us — I reckon this might have needed about six of them to do it and will have taken about half an hour, but no one saw them.”

The sign was purchased for £2,000 and is believed to still be valued at about half of that figure.

Mr Piper is now asking for anyone who may have seen the thieves or who might know of the signs whereabouts to contact the police.

He said: “It is a really big sign, so it could be in someone’s garden or in the back of a truck — I would ask anyone with information to come forward.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the force had been made aware of the theft and urged anyone with information to contact 101.