Volunteers who run a heritage railway in the Valleys were "absolutely gutted" to find thieves had stolen three Victorian-style lamp posts from its platform.
The posts, installed on Blaenavon ’s Heritage Railway's High Level Station in 2020, were taken last weekend by someone who used an angle grinder to shear off the bolts securing them to the ground.
The theft comes just weeks before the railway is set to reopen and has left those who dedicate their time and effort to keeping the railway working with having to cover the cost of replacing the items.
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"Blaenavon’s Heritage Railway is a charity which is run solely by volunteers, so this comes as a deep blow," said its head of stations Huw Morgan.
"We try to make things better for our passengers and the community and then someone goes and does something like this - all just to make their own homes and gardens look nicer, or to make quick money off the back of our volunteers' efforts.
"I'm absolutely gutted."
A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "We received a report that three decorative lampposts were taken from Varteg Road in Varteg by an unknown person at some point between 4pm on Sunday, February 6 and 9am on Tuesday, February 8.
"Anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, can call 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting log reference 2200044977.
"Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with details."
Anyone wishing to make a donation to help the railway replace the lamp posts can do so by clicking here.
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