Gnomes re-homed

Sgt David Kemp, of Seaford police, said: 'We have established that the little fellows were bought by some high-spirited youngsters who disfigured them with some rather gruesome messages before attaching them to posts around the town.

'We are attempting to re-gnome them in the hope that they will recover from their ordeal and strike a more traditional pose with fishing rods, ponds and flowers.'

More than 20 gnomes were found taped to the lamp-posts, daubed with macabre messages and fake blood. Some even had garden forks and axes embedded in their heads.

Police were initially investigating the incident as a number of gnomes had been reported stolen from a Lewes garden centre. However, it has since been established that these were not the same gnomes.