POLICE staged an identity parade of stolen bears so a Shiptonthorpe woman could check if hers was among them.

The line-up of concrete bears was staged to help Margaret George, from Shiptonthorpe, to recover her lost garden ornament.

But Homer, Margaret's concrete companion, was sadly not in the line-up.

Bridlington police organised the parade after Margaret reported Homer stolen.

The police, who were investigating a separate matter at the time, came across a stash of concrete bears at an address in their area.

Margaret's garden bear had been a house-warming gift from her friends, David and June Simpson, earlier this year. But the ornament was stolen only days after he made his debut appearance in a Shiptonthorpe Open Gardens event.

Although Margaret sees the funny side of the series of events, she said: "It was not very nice to have him pinched.

"The police were very helpful. It was very good of them with all the crimes that they have to solve. They even said, 'let's see if we can identify Homer'."

Margaret does not hold much hope of seeing Homer again, and believes that he will end up at a car-boot sale.

He is described as in pristine condition. He is about 10 inches tall, wears a red bib and has his paw in a jar of honey. If you think you've seen him, ring Pocklington police on 01759 302174.

PICTURE: Margaret George inspects the identity parade of stolen teddy bear ornaments - sadly her bear Homer was not among them