POLICE have managed to track down a giant Christmas Nutcracker which was cut free, carried off and bundled into a vehicle.

West Mercia Police said reports of a stolen seven-foot Christmas Nutcracker was not the usual type of crime its officers expect to receive, but it did achieve a good outcome.

For families doing Hereford City Life’s Nutcracker Trail, they were unable to find the one which was stolen outside All Saints Church on Christmas Eve, meaning hundreds of families struggled to complete the popular event.

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Mike Truelove, chief executive Hereford Business Improvement District, which was behind the trail, said it appeared that the giant Nutcracker was cut from its position outside the church and abandoned nearby.

Two passersby then picked it up and carried it off during the evening of Christmas Eve and eventually loaded it into a vehicle before driving off.

“In the great scheme of things, this was not a serious crime, however, a theft did occur and the Nutcracker damaged, meaning a lot of families enjoying the trail struggled to continue," he said.

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“Thankfully, most went on to complete the trail which ended at the Tourist Information Centre in St Owen Street.

"It meant a lot to us to have the item returned and we are enormously thankful to both Herefordshire Council’s CCTV service and West Mercia Police for diligently locating the missing Nutcracker and returning it – we know how busy these services are, doing vital work to protect the Herefordshire public”.

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The Nutcracker Trail saw around 1,200 people hunt for the statues with happy children receiving a toy for their efforts.

Hereford City Life, a Hereford BID brand, said it hoped to bring the trail back again for 2023 along with other Christmas attractions for shoppers coming into the city to enjoy.

Sergeant Duncan Reynolds from Hereford Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “Following an investigation we were happy that we were able to trace the Nutcracker and return it’s rightful owners.”