A MAJOR police investigation is under way after a £200,000 antique was seized from Levens Hall, near Kendal.

When ‘horrified’ hall owner, Hal Bagot, reported the rare Thomas Tompion table clock had been stolen from his historic country home, police were at the scene within minutes.

Tracker dogs were utilised, potential witnesses questioned, CCTV footage analysed and crime scene investigators scoured the room for fingerprints and other clues.

A £20,000 reward has been issued for the clock’s safe return by AXA Arts insurence company and South Cumbria CID are pursuing a number of local and national leads.

Detective Inspector David Banks said it was too soon to say how the leads would develop, adding: “The investigation revolves around potential suspects and potential outlets for the stolen property.”

He said the offenders could have been local thieves, unaware of the clock’s value, but police have not ruled out the possibility the burglary was the work of sophisticated criminal gang.

“I wouldn’t say incidents of this kind are rare but they are not common either,” he added.

Mr Bagot raised the alarm at 5am on Saturday morning, when he was woken by the sound of the security system.

The system identified a break-in in the library on the first floor of the Grade I listed building, the same floor where he and his wife were sleeping.

“I thought it must be someone or something coming through one of the windows,” said Mr Bagot, who opens the house and gardens to the public during the summer.

“At first I suspected it was a bird or a bat but I was horrified to see a ladder up against the wall at the opposite side of the courtyard.”

Mr Bagot rushed to the room to discover the clock, which had been on loan to Levens Hall since March 2007, had disappeared.

Initial investigations revealed the offenders gained access to Levens Hall by breaking into an outbuilding at the opposite side of the A6 and stealing a ladder.

They then used the ladder to scale the perimeter of the hall and climb up to the window –a valuable leaded variety that sustained extensive damage.

During the theft, the clock itself was damaged, with one of its four feet left at the scene of the crime.

The thieves also snatched a bronze statue of Napoleon on horseback worth £5,000 before making off on foot along the A6.

“I am extremely upset on a number of counts,” said Mr Bagot. “First that we try very hard to display nice things here at the hall and we have failed because that beautiful clock is no longer available for people to see.

“Secondly, because it is not my clock, I was looking after it for someone and I have failed. Thirdly, I am upset because our own space has been violated. People have come at night with ladders, which is not a nice thought at all.”

Mr Bagot said Levens Hall had not been burgled in more than 15 years, adding: “The clock is obviously highly desirable to someone, like myself, who loves clocks. My guess, for what it’s worth, is that somebody wanted it so much they were prepared to pay someone to go out and steal it for them.”

DI Banks is urging the public and local antique dealers to look out for the item.

“We would also ask anybody who was in the area at the time of the theft and saw any suspicious people or vehicles to contact us immediately,” he continued. “We would also like to speak to anyone who has visited Levens Hall recently and saw people acting suspiciously.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC Damian West on 0845-3300-247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.