POLICE are investigating after 42 pigeons worth more than £400 were stolen from a house in Darlington.

The Birmingham pigeons were taken from a coop at the rear of a property in Harrowgate Village between 10pm on Tuesday and 10am on Wednesday.

A police spokesman said the birds had been stolen rather than released because if the door to their coop had been left open they would have simply returned.

He added: “During the hours of darkness it would have been possible to simply lift the birds from their perches, as they would not have moved of their own accord.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Darlington Police on the non-emergency number 101.