Stolen Victorian street sign returns home after local residents spot it on popular auction website

Bill Williams with the sign, before it was returned to its rightful place

A Victorian cast-iron street sign has returned home to Norden a month after being stolen, when eagle-eyed local residents spotted it on a popular auction website.

Browsing the site on the off-chance that the sign would be listed, residents of Sunnyside Cottages wasted no time when they struck gold and spotted their sign for sale, swiftly purchasing it back for £120 with the option to collect.

Local residents Bill Williams and Paul Ellison drove to Huddersfield on Sunday (17 February) to collect the sign, which legally belongs to Rochdale Borough Council.

John Rooney, assistant director for information, customers and communities at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The theft of the sign has been logged with Greater Manchester Police who will now investigate what happened, along with the council’s trading standards team.

“We are delighted that the residents have been able to recover the sign and return it to its rightful place at Sunnyside Cottages. We hope to see the resident receive a refund for the recovery of the sign.”

Mr Ellison added: “There was some great detective work by Kath Kaye in tracking down the sign before it was sold and lost forever.

“Fortunately, a full refund was received, and everyone is happy that the sign has returned home.”