A WASH basin has been stolen from the garden of a Test Valley property.

Police have issued an appeal to the pubic following the incident, which took place between 11.15am and midday on Saturday.

The culprits, who remain unknown, took a black Victorian wash basin from a garden in Paynes Hay Road, Braishfield.

The item is said to be ‘very distinctive’ and ‘very rare’. Both the soot doors and the front fire plate were left behind so they will be missing from the basin.

Now police are appealing to anyone who may have seen the item since the theft to get in touch.

A statement from police read: “Have you seen this item recently? Has someone tried to sell it to you? Have you seen it on social media?

“If you have any information that you think might be relevant and useful to our investigation into this matter, please tell us.

“You can call us on 101, or by visiting https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/

“Please quote reference number 44200183369.”

Officers have also taken the opportunity to share crime prevention advice with residents.

A police statement continued: “Please remember to take steps to protect your property. Always lock windows and doors, consider what other locks you can install to increase security.

“Consider installing external motion lighting, an alarm and CCTV. CCTV systems that allow you to remotely monitor your property and store footage in the cloud are particularly useful.

“For more crime prevention, please visit https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention.