Newbury’s Paddington Bear statue has been stolen, police confirm

A Paddington Bear statue, celebrating the children’s character as part of a UK-wide trail, has been damaged and stolen from a bench in a Berkshire town, police have said.

The sculpture was taken from his seat in Northbrook Street, Newbury, overnight on Saturday, according to Thames Valley Police.

The force said officers were “out exploring CCTV opportunities” on Sunday.

It urged anyone who witnessed the theft or saw suspicious activity to contact police.

The statue of the Peruvian bear, holding one of his beloved marmalade sandwiches, was unveiled in the home town of Paddington creator Michael Bond in October.

It was one of 23 unveiled across the UK last year as part of the Paddington Visits trail, ahead of the StudioCanal film Paddington in Peru.

Residents in the town have expressed their dismay at the theft, saying he was “a lovely addition to Newbury”.

Christopher Gibbins said he had seen the damaged remains of the statue at about 08:00 GMT on Sunday while out on a walk.

“Very sad to see it had happened as he made a lot of people in the town very happy,” he said.

Many locals took to social media, sharing pictured they had taken with Paddington.

“To some it may not seem like a big deal but he was such a little ray of sunshine, walking to work or taking my small kids into town he just brought a smile to people,” Whitney Burnett wrote.

Juliet Curtis said: “I find it especially sad as Newbury is the home town of the author Michael Bond. How upset he would have been.”