A gang of gnomes and other garden ornaments remained behind bars yesterday after their owners failed to come forward to claim them.
More than 30 items, including a Rangers Football Club gnome and an Oor Wullie statue, were found in the back of a car near Banff on Thursday.
Police believe Wullie and his cell-mates were taken from addresses across the north-east throughout last week.
Last night police confirmed that no one has come forward to claim any of them. A spokesman said: “There have been no updates to this case and given the high-profile nature of the find we would have been told if there were.
“No one has come forward to claim any of the items and they all remain in Banff police office.”
The discovery of the figures has rekindled memories of a bizarre spate of incidents in the north-east in the late 1980s. Residents in Fraserburgh could hardly believe their eyes after a selection of garden gnomes were placed at various strategic points throughout the town centre.
Two were seen waiting at a bus stop and another pair, found outside a newspaper office, had a note attached asking for them to be sent to a good home.
Officers investigating the most recent discovery say three men are helping with their inquiries, and they ask anyone with information to come forward.
Constable Jack Saville said: “A total of 33 gnomes and garden ornaments are believed to have been taken from a variety of addresses in the Aberdeenshire area overnight between Wednesday and Thursday last week. We are keen to trace the owners of these items.”