Valley council renews plea to help find historic £15k mayoral chains

Police and council officials have joined forces and renewed their appeal for information after historic chains and badges worth £15,000 were stolen from the council chamber.
Among the items stolen was this mayoral chainAmong the items stolen was this mayoral chain
Among the items stolen was this mayoral chain

Among the items taken during the raid at Ribble Valley Borough Council, which occurred in the early hours of Monday (June 10th), was a crafted from silver and enamelled gilt, have the following marks: Bowland Rural District Council – 66g and 74g badges engraved “I will lift up mine eyes” and hallmarked 1966 London S&S Ltd, and 214g chain hallmarked 1961 London S&S Ltd; Rural District Council of Clitheroe – 146g badge engraved “Nostrum Est Rura Tueri” and 270g chain hallmarked 1958 London S&S Ltd; Rural District Council of Blackburn – 102g badge engraved “Serva Fidem” and 350g chain hallmarked 1954 London EB; and 270g badge and chain engraved “This regalia was presented in 1965 for the use of the Chairman’s Lady” and hallmarked 1965 Birmingham Thomas Fatorrini.

The council’s chief executive, Marshal Scott, is urging anyone with information to come forward. He said: “The thieves smashed display cases and took sets of mayoral chains and badges of office from the former Bowland, Clitheroe and Blackburn Rural District Councils. The items have a combined value of £15,250, but their historic value is significantly more and this theft constitutes the loss of important and unique civic artefacts. If anyone has information as to the whereabouts of the chains or if you have any information relating to the theft, please call police on 101.”

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This incident comes days after a separate incident involving a woman stealing a coat worth around £250 from Ken Varey Town and Country Wear store in the town centre last week.

Stolen chain from the councilStolen chain from the council
Stolen chain from the council

Once again Clitheroe Conservatives have called on the Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw to take measures to improve the quality of policing in the Ribble Valley, “stop retreating from rural policing” and give to the small towns like Clitheroe an equal and appropriate share of the police budget.