Who stole Santa's skirt? 'Drunken idiots' strip Bilston statue of festive garb
A landmark statue in Bilston which was dressed up in festive attire has been stripped naked by cheeky revellers.
The Women's Work statue, in the High Street area of the town, was kitted out in custom-made red and white Santa Claus gear especially for Christmas by local craft group the Bilston Yarn Stars.
But at some point over the weekend, her cape and skirt were nabbed, leaving the ladies from the group gutted after trying to bring a bit of fun to the town.
The cape was found at the Market Tavern, in Bilston High Street, and returned to the ladies.
Liane Powell, a member of the group, said: "The cape was retrieved, somebody wore it into a pub nearby and they took it and gave it back to us.
"But we're still looking for the skirt.
"We don't know if it was the same person who took the skirt.
"All we can assume is that it was drunken idiots.
"We have been running for 18 months now, we meet up and sometimes do things for charity as well.
"It's not really fair because the money for the material comes out of the ladies' back pocket.
"We really hope someone will be kind enough to get it back to us.
"We didn't really dress her up for any reason other than for a bit of fun and to make people smile in the town, so we're really disappointed to have someone take it.
"They can either call me and we can arrange to meet and pick it up, or if they wish to remain anonymous they can drop it off at the council rent office on Church Street in Bilston."
It is not the first time the famous statue, sculpted by Rose Garrard, has been dressed up by the ladies.
Last year the statue donned the Santa suit at Christmas, while also becoming a witch for Halloween, Pudsey Bear for Comic Relief and a flower girl for Bilston in Bloom.
