A FORMER police officer has been left stumped after thieves stole two oak benches from a walkway.

Fred Farley, who enjoys a weekly Sunday stroll along the Coxhoe to Kelloe Railway Walk, was stopped in his tracks when he noticed the seats were missing, leaving just stumps on which they once stood.

The seats, erected two years ago following public consultation as part of the Five Villages Project, were overlooking beauty spots.

Mr Farley, of Vicarage Terrace, Coxhoe, near Durham City, said: "I was shocked when, on my regular Sunday walk, I saw somebody had taken them.

"I don't think it is outright vandalism - it is just theft.

"Obviously, they are now sitting in somebody's back garden or allotment.

"They were placed in nice settings so it's a shame that somebody would do this."

The railway walk, linking Coxhoe and Kelloe, has developed into a popular rural route for people walking their dogs or taking a stroll.

A spokesman for Durham County Council, who backed the Five Villages Project, said: "They were of great benefit to people who cannot walk for a long period of time.

"It is a great pity that that people should damage these benches which other people in the community specifically asked for.

"They are unlikely to be replaced in the foreseeable future."