A company director was left baffled when a thief changed clothes halfway through stealing two artificial plants from outside his front door.

Peter Goldby, 46, thought his friends were playing a prank when he woke up to find the two ornamental plants missing from either side of his front door in Massingham Drive, Earls Colne.

When Mr Goldby played the CCTV back he found the thief, dressed in purple, had spent an hour pulling out the two plants and had even changed his clothing halfway through.

He said: “We could not quite believe it. We have got very good security lights and CCTV. If someone walks up to the front of our house they look like airfield landing lights, you can’t miss them.

“He’s come and had a look, the lights have come on and he’s strolled off again and come back with a hat and a coat.

“He snatched the first tree and then an hour later he’s come back in a different outfit and taken the other one.

“The next morning I followed the trail of plastic leaves all around the corner of our estate.”

Halstead Gazette:

Mr Goldby believes the artificial plants, bought six years ago, cost about £40 or £50 each and have a spike at the bottom so they can be pushed into the ground.

They were placed in pots so heavy they can’t be lifted by hand and will now be replaced by statues weighing 25 stone each.

Mr Goldby said: “It’s bizarre what people will do. Someone somewhere knows who that is, he’s all in purple.

"I just thought: ‘What are you doing?’ “If someone was that destitute or hard up on their luck I might have said you can have them. They look real but are just made of plastic.

“It’s obviously not a professional job, he is the most ridiculous criminal. People have been laughing about it.

“If someone just took one we would think it’s a drunken bank holiday Sunday.

“To come back and snatch the other one makes me think he did just want them.”

Halstead Gazette:

The thief was initially wearing a purple t-shirt and shorts with flip flops when he first appeared, but later put a coat and hat on.

When he returned for the second plant he was seen in his original t-shirt and shorts with flip flops.

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.