A STONE effigy of Richard III has been stolen from outside a harbourside building.

It was taken from an iron cage outside the King Richard III House restaurant, in Sandside, Scarborough, where it had been housed for generations.

Mike Willby, the manager, said "We think it was stolen to order and sold to a collector, but it could cost as much as £20,000 to have a replacement made."

The listed building, which dates back to 1310, was frequently used by the king when he visited Scarborough.

He played a key part in the development of the town's 750-year-old harbour, giving timber from his woods and providing a grant towards the cost.

Mr Willby said: "Someone obviously pulled the cage off the front of the building to steal the effigy.

"People have come from all parts of Europe to visit the house and see the effigy.

"It was only when a customer asked where the effigy had gone that we discovered its disappearance."