The search is on to find the Gruffalo after the character was among nine wooden statues stolen from a park in Greater Manchester.

The life-sized figures were taken from Clifton Country Park in Salford at some stage overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Police have appealed for anyone with CCTV footage from the area to come forward and are also searching for a vehicle described as entering the park’s parking area at about 16:00 GMT on Thursday.

Inspired by words from The Gruffalo, officers posted on Facebook: “He has two large, curved horns on the top of his head, his eyes are orange, and his tongue is black, he has a poisonous wart on the end of his nose and bright purple prickles on his back BUT WHERE IS HE?”

The sculptures are part of the park’s Fairy Tale Trail, which was opened by Salford City Council in 2017.

It was part-funded by the Friends of Clifton Country Park group, and features wooden animals, mythical characters, and a fairy house.

The statues were installed on the route after some previous features were stolen last year.

In August, councillor Barbara Bentham, the council’s lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety, said: “We’re thrilled to restore the Fairy Tale Trail.

“We’re dedicated to maintaining our parks and green spaces, and even though we faced the challenge of the stolen sculptures, we’re proud to have replaced them quickly.”

Since The Gruffalo was published by Julia Donaldson in 1999 it has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide and has also been made into a BBC animation.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Greater Manchester Police.

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