Not so damned amusing for the gnomes, I'll bet...
'The three property staff - property officer Laura Hesketh and assistants Gary Davies and Justin Taylor - admit that stolen garden gnomes are an endless source of amusement.
Laura said: "It's quite funny to walk into the store and see a row of gnomes on the shelf. Last year there was a spate of gnome thefts in Preston and we had to look after them for a while."
Gary added: "We had about 20 in at one time, and I would say three quarters of them were reunited with their owners after the court case. I think the people of Preston are very attached to their gnomes..."'
More here: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Garden-gnomes-among-theft-victims.4538759.jp
Semi-related Edit: The Past Times website (http://www.pasttimes.com) has undergone another revamp, but not without casualties. Some gargoyles, for instance, do not show up following a keyword search. This chap, for example...
...who, unsurprisingly, is one of a set of three.
http://www.pasttimes.com/Statues/Speak-No-Evil-Gargoyle/invt/812453
Laura said: "It's quite funny to walk into the store and see a row of gnomes on the shelf. Last year there was a spate of gnome thefts in Preston and we had to look after them for a while."
Gary added: "We had about 20 in at one time, and I would say three quarters of them were reunited with their owners after the court case. I think the people of Preston are very attached to their gnomes..."'
More here: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Garden-gnomes-among-theft-victims.4538759.jp
Semi-related Edit: The Past Times website (http://www.pasttimes.com) has undergone another revamp, but not without casualties. Some gargoyles, for instance, do not show up following a keyword search. This chap, for example...
...who, unsurprisingly, is one of a set of three.
http://www.pasttimes.com/Statues/Speak-No-Evil-Gargoyle/invt/812453