Brazen thieves steal cellos

Two cellos and two expensive electric guitars have gone missing from Banks Music Ltd, in Lendal, York, since last Thursday.

The cellos were worth about £500 each, while the guitars were valued collectively at £2,300.

Police said there were no signs of a break-in, which suggested the instruments were removed from the shop during opening hours.

Assistant manager John Cocker said: "It's just the brass neck of it all.

"It's never happened at this rate before, although the odd little item has disappeared.

"We're all absolutely devastated."

Shop staff found that the two full-size cellos which usually measure about 1.2 metres high were missing on Saturday morning, along with two padded cases.

The instruments were both resting on stands at the back of the shop. It is thought thieves calmly put them in the cases, and left the store carrying them while it was packed with shoppers.

Mr Cocker said: "They waited until the shop was absolutely packed out.

"People do walk in with instruments like that they wander in and want strings putting in.

"They should walk out with one the only difference is that they should have a Banks music bag."

On Tuesday this week, there was further bad news when staff found more instruments had gone missing two valuable electric guitars worth more than a thousand pounds each, which were hanging up in the downstairs area of the shop.

The instruments are secured to the wall by clips, which can be undone by prospective buyers.

"People can just pull a guitar off the wall and sit down and play it," said Mr Cocker.

"When people are walking around with a guitar, we don't think anything of it.

"It's unusual that we seem to have been targeted over this Bank Holiday weekend."

The thefts have been reported to police.

Staff have also rung round local second-hand instrument retailers to check if any guitars or cellos have been brought in, but so far without success.