AN elderly burglary victim beaten and left tied up overnight has a offered £15,000 reward to catch the crooks and for the return of his property.

The un-named owner of Boltby Farm House, Boltby, near Thirsk, was attacked at around 11pm on Saturday, February 21.

A group of masked men broke into the property where they tied up and assaulted the man in his 70s before taking his car and some money.

They also stole a Ruger .22RF self-loading rifle, serial number 242-46235 and a Remington .222 Rem bolt-action rifle, serial number C6629502.

They also took a RWS .22 Excalibur air rifle with telescopic sight, serial number 7833 and a pair of Hogan & Colbourne side-by-side 12 bore shotguns.

The shotguns have a very distinctive engravings on the sides of a spaniel gun dog and the serial numbers are 1049 and 1050.

The police are also targeting readers of specialist firearms and field sports publications to see if they have been offered for sale.

The victim is offering £5,000 for the return of his goods and £10,000 for information leading to the offenders conviction.

Detective sergeant Darrin Knight said: "This incident was a particularly vicious and frightening ordeal.

"The manner in which he was tied up and left alone overnight caused a great deal of emotional strain "As well ensuring the suspects are brought to justice, it is also vital that the firearms are traced and returned to their rightful owner.

"It is important that the firearms are recovered so they are not used by the criminal fraternity."

Information can also be passed to North Yorkshire Police on 0845-6060-247 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police arrested four men aged 39, 38, 35 and 33 in connection with the incident in April from South Yorkshire and they are on police bail.