A cash reward has been offered for the return of a cheeky statue that has brightened up the yard of a Bradford builders' merchants for 25 years.

The statue of a young boy answering the call of nature has stood in the pond of Manningham Concrete for a quarter of a century. Thieves snatched it on Sunday and now the firm is offering a £100 reward.

Alan Tomlinson said he was upset the popular statue had vanished. It was installed by his father, Ronnie, who founded the company with his brother George 40 years ago.

The family business in Cemetery Road is now run by Ronnie's two sons, Alan and Andrew.

The statue is a replica of the Manneken Pis, the famous landmark in Brussels. The bronze original stands on a street corner in the Belgian capital.

Mr Tomlinson said: "Someone has pinched the statue from the fountain. We are upset because my dad built it.''

He said the theft was being reported to the police and he urged anyone who had spotted the distinctive statue to get in touch because a reward was being offered.

"It's probably in someone's back garden at this very moment," he said.

Aptly-named Acting Detective Inspector Paul Fountain, of Toller Lane CID, said: "The police won't be standing still on this one. I don't know why anyone would want to relieve Manningham Concrete of this statue.

"We're hoping information comes flooding in and the details are leaked to us somewhere along the line." Anyone with information is asked to contact Toller Lane CID on Bradford 376259.

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