A pensioner has been left “frightened” after thieves stole her historic gatepost top from her front garden in Deane.

Chris Magnall noticed that his 84-year-old mum Norma’s gatepost pier cap was missing on December 16.

After checking his mum’s CCTV, he says that thieves could be seen removing one pier cap, and attempting to remove another, on December 15 at around 11.30pm.

Chris says that other neighbours in the area have also had theirs stolen.

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The Bolton News:

He said: “There are two houses next door, and they have identical terracotta pillar caps, but none are missing, but then as I walked down the street, I found a house that had identical ones to us, but they were missing.

“Other neighbours have lost theirs too and I realised it wasn’t just us.

“There is nothing special about these ones and they will be impossible to buy now due to the houses being old.”

Chris’s brother Michael says he is “shocked and annoyed” that this has happened right outside her bedroom.

He added: “She’s really frightened that someone can do something like that.

The Bolton News: “It’s frightening that this kind of thing can happen outside her bedroom window.

“These two gate posts looked really nice, and now they don’t.

“Luckily nothing else happened, but these things affect people’s lives.”

It has been five weeks since the incident happened, and Chris and his brother Michael say they have not heard from the police and they would like to see something happen, given how many residents were affected.

It comes as there was a spate of thefts involving historic finials in September last year, in Smithills and Halliwell.

At the time neighbours reported them being stolen in the early hours of the morning.

The gatepost pier caps are either made out of brick, stone, or concrete.

Many houses in Bolton still have the old gateposts tops.

Police say that after looking into the case they were unable to identify a suspect.

If anyone has any information on the stolen items in Deane please contact mmangnall@hotmail.com.

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.