Sheila Turner from Ickornshaw couldn't believe it when she heard two of her latest works of art had been destroyed.

The oil paintings of Haworth at night and Eilean Donnan Castle in Scotland had been on display in the Treacletubs Gallery in Saltaire.

The gallery - which promotes the work of local artists - was broken into last Friday by two men, who struck at around 11pm.

They used a 10lb lump hammer to smash into the premises and proceeded to take a number of paintings, including Mrs Turner's two works.

As they were about to load up their car with the works of art they were tackled by Les Marles, boyfriend of the gallery owner Ellen Smith.

Mr Marles managed to wrestle the paintings back from the two men, however the canvases became damaged in the struggle.

The two landscapes belonging to Mrs Turner - which had an estimated value of £400 each - were ripped beyond repair.

Sheila, wife of well known local artist Howard Turner, says: "It was such a shock when I heard about it and I still can't believe that something like this has happened because the gallery is so beautiful.

"It took about a month to complete each painting and I am upset because I was really pleased with the end result.

"The painting of Haworth was really challenging to do because it was difficult to get the effect of the street lighting, so it's particularly disappointing to see it ripped."

Mr Marles, who tackled the intruders, says: "We had just returned from holiday and were upstairs when we heard a loud bang downstairs. They were in the process of loading the car up when I came downstairs and they dropped the pictures when I came and I managed to grab off them."

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