Amanda Cook with the returned St James tapestry banner. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0630912)

A LARGE banner, which was stolen from outside St James, is now back with its owners.
The two-metre-long tapestry banner was taken on Monday. Police returned the banner on Thursday after it was found in a garden.
‘It was here on Monday,’ said the director of the Millennium Tapestry Trust, Amanda Cook.
‘But when I came in on Tuesday there was nothing. I had to go back and check to be sure.’
She then contacted the police.
‘It may seem trivial to some people, but we need it. It was brand new and it cost us £160. Replacing it would cost a lot of money, especially as we are a charity.’
‘It seems like a very silly thing to do,’ said Mrs Cook.
‘What were they going to do with it? It had all our contact details on, so they knew it was ours.’
The theft could not have come at a worse time, as the tapestry relies on the banner to draw in tourists.
‘We are glad it was returned to us undamaged. I had no idea if we could get it back.’
Mrs Cook does not plan to press charges against the thief, but she would like an apology from the people involved.
‘It must have been a moment of bank holiday madness.
‘We hope after this incident people will leave it alone. We don’t want it taken again.’