THREE Tilley lamps stolen from the National Waterway Museum Ellesmere Port have been recovered thanks to the keen eye of a Canal & River Trust volunteer who spotted them for sale on a well-known internet auction site.
The trust’s museums team alerted the police, who recovered the items; the seller is now assisting police.
CRT manager of national collections Steven Bagley said: “The Tilley lamps are now back where they belong.
“Thank you to our dedicated volunteer who spotted the lamps for sale and acted quickly, to the police for returning the lamps to us, and to the museums team for their diligence in the aftermath of the upsetting theft.
“We have carried out a thorough review and are looking forward to an exciting summer of events and education.”
In February, 11 exhibits were stolen from the museum which holds 90% of the UK’s inland waterways collection, including around 15,000 objects and more than 50 boats.
They included a model boat along with several small model engines and the three large Tilley lamps.
The collection had recently been catalogued, enabling swift identification of the stolen exhibits.
Anyone with information about the thefts should speak to the police or contact the trust directly at the National Waterways Museum.
