By Sarah ChambersTOWN councillors are to investigate replacing a famous town landmark which was stolen last month. The bronze statue of Snooks the dog stood on a plinth beside the model yacht pond near the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh since 1961.
By Sarah Chambers
TOWN councillors are to investigate replacing a famous town landmark which was stolen last month.
The bronze statue of Snooks the dog stood on a plinth beside the model yacht pond near the Moot Hall in Aldeburgh since 1961.
It had been patted and admired by generations of children before thieves stole it just over a month ago.
Residents expressed outrage at its disappearance and vowed to replace it if it could not be found.
A meeting of Aldeburgh Town Council last night heard an advertisement in Trace magazine had so far failed to shed any light on where the statue had gone.
Town councillors agreed to give more time for the original statue to be returned, but also wanted to start investigating replacing the monument.
The mould for the original is still in existence and the town council has received offers from sculptors to make a new statue of the dog.
Snooks the town doctor's dog was a familiar sight about the town, following his master, Dr Robin Acheson, as he made his house calls, or wandering off on his own.
His statue was originally installed in Dr Acheson's honour. The name of his wife, Aldeburgh GP Dr Norah Acheson, was added later.
Aldeburgh town clerk Andrew Harris said yesterday: "There's no two ways about it, it will get replaced."
He added it had already had offers from more than one source to get it sculpted for costs only.
"People are absolutely devastated. They are very cross, to be perfectly honest," said Mr Harris.
"There's vandalism in the world we know, but this is not vandalism, this is outright theft. It's part of the scene of Moot Green with the yacht pond and all the rest of it."
Town councillors decided at their meeting last month to advertise in Trace to see if anything turned up.
"Our feeling is it has not been melted down, it's sitting in someone's garden or patio," said Mr Harris.
The matter will be discussed again by Aldeburgh Town Council at its meeting on April 14, when a decision should be taken on replacing the statue.
sarah.chambers@eadt.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here