Nutcracker Statue Recovered from River Ouse After Theft in York

A Nutcracker statue, which had vanished from a Christmas trail in York, has been retrieved from the River Ouse. This figure is one of ten displayed throughout the city, each symbolizing a different country that contributes to the York community. Organizers from York BID suspect the Nutcracker was stolen from Skeldergate by two individuals on Sunday night. However, following a collaborative effort by street cleaners, rangers, and members of the public, the statue was located and recovered from the river yesterday morning. Carl Alsop of York BID commented on the incident, stating: “We saw a concerned resident had put out a message on social media that two people, who maybe didn’t see the magic in the trail, had decided to take the Nutcracker for a walk and test his swimming abilities.” On Monday morning, street cleaner Chris Patrick discovered one of the statues was missing from its position outside Middletons Hotel. After a search along the river, he located it and was subsequently joined by Mr. Alsop and Rachel Bean to assist in its retrieval. Mr. Alsop further remarked, “We managed to give him a good wash down, a good brush up and got him back in place safely on Skeldergate.” He also noted, “It’s sadly not the only time. It’s the only one that’s been swimming but there was one attempted theft from outside Barley Hall.” This particular Nutcracker was also reinstated to its location, and Mr. Alsop mentioned that “really good footage” of the individuals involved in both incidents had been provided to the police. Mr. Alsop concluded, “Although it’s really sad to do it at Christmastime, we will be looking to prosecute and make sure this doesn’t happen again.” York BID additionally stated that despite all ten Nutcrackers being affixed to their spots “quite securely,” people had taken extra measures to steal them. Regarding further security measures, Mr. Alsop expressed, “I don’t think we want to do any more than we’ve already done because we’re very keen that the thousands of people coming in to experience this over Christmas can still do that.” He further commented, “Twice people have tried but both times, the great network and team we’ve got have got it sorted in no time at all. “Hopefully that’s the last of it and people will just enjoy the trail as intended for the rest of the season.”