A GIANT 'orangutan' was stolen from a Cotswold business and dumped in a field over six miles away.

A sculpture of an orangutan, listed for £5,440, belonging to Cotswold Grey, on High Street, in Moreton-in-Marsh, was stolen on the evening of Tuesday, August 29.

The orangutan, affectionately known as Clyde (after the orangutan from the Clint Eastwood classic 'Every Which Way But Loose') was spotted by an eagle-eyed eyewitness being driven up Batsford Road in a 4x4 truck, on the evening it was stolen

A spokesperson for Cotswold Grey described the moment staff became aware of the theft.

They said: "We had Clyde outside the business to help drum up interest in a sale we were holding.

"Later that evening, one of our staff members was contacted by a friend saying they had seen a truck driving off with Clyde and knew it would not have been us moving him.

"It was horrible to find out he had been stolen as it is such an amazing thing to have at Cotswold Grey.

"We published an appeal and asked people to keep a lookout in case they had seen him anywhere.

"Then we had a message a day later letting us know that Clyde had been spotted from a train, dumped in a field in Paxford.

"From there we were luckily able to head out and get him back."

After the chaotic series of events and the reunion, Clyde did not have much time to relax as he had work to do promoting the business.

The spokesperson said: "Right after we retrieved him, we took him to the Moreton-in-Marsh Show so that the crowds could see him.

"Now he is safely back with us and is staying in our warehouse."

Clyde was carved from a single teak tree trunk in Indonesia and stands at over 10 feet tall.

The sculpture has painted eyes, original tree roots at the base and intricate markings throughout. 

A message posted on the website also joked that Clyde remained uninjured despite the scary ordeal.

Clyde was reduced from £6,800 to £5,400 on the Cotswold Grey website.