Family and friends have offered a reward to catch the culprits who stole hanging baskets from a memorial to a village stalwart affectionately known as Mr Whaplode.
Police were called after the flower-filled baskets disappeared between 7pm on Friday, August 21, and noon the next day from the memorial to former parish councillor Alec Welch in the centre of Whaplode.
The theft prompted Alec’s brother John to post an appeal on Facebook for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves and offering £100 reward.
Sue Forth, of Mark Forth Funeral Services, then offered to up the reward to £500.
Sue said: “When we lived in Whaplode Alec was our neighbour and I knew him all my life.
“He was a fantastic person and everyone knew him – he was Mr Whaplode, so when I heard the hanging baskets had been stolen we offered to make the reward up to catch those responsible.”
John said: “It is not about the fact they have stolen the baskets, it’s not about the expense, it’s the fact they took them off a memorial.”
The crime was described by others on Facebook as “lower than low” and “despicable”, with one poster calling for the thieves to be “named and shamed”.
New hanging baskets have since been provided by Kindergarten Plants Ltd, to make sure the memorial looked its best for the opening day of Whaplode Flower Festival at the weekend.
The memorial basket thefts followed on from the theft of stock and cash from a roadside plant stall set up in Whaplode by youngster Sarah Griggs.
Sarah has been forced to cease trading as a result.
A post on thge Whaplode Village Hall Facebook page said: “It is hard to understand these kind of people who steal from someone like Sarah trying to make a few extra pennies from her own efforts, and steal flowers from a memorial to the much love and respected man Alec Welch . . . what can you say?”
Anyone with information about the hanging baskets theft is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 153 of August 23.
