In a bizarre and frosty crime, a snowman has been pinched from the wall of a pub in Stoke-on-Trent, with the entire incident caught on camera.
The Chilly Theft Caught on Camera
CCTV footage recorded the moment the snowman, named 'Sammy', was swiped from The Potter pub in the Longton area of the city. The incident occurred at around 10pm on Sunday, 4th January. The video shows three individuals walking past the establishment before one, wearing a distinctive green hat, makes his move.
The man is seen dashing across the snow-covered road, grabbing the festive figure from its perch on the pub wall, and then running off down the street. Pub site manager Callum Chadwick explained that the snowman had been built earlier that day by regulars during heavy snowfall, only to vanish by closing time.
Pub's Amused Appeal to the 'Snowman Thief'
Rather than contacting the police, the pub took to social media with a humorous appeal. They posted the CCTV footage on Facebook, directly addressing the culprit. "To the snowman thief. We hope you enjoyed stealing a snowman," the post began. It continued, "Bold move. Really. Just so you know - we've got CCTV. Yes, it works. Yes, we've watched it. Yes, we've laughed."
The tongue-in-cheek message described the snowman as "minding his own business, spreading joy, not auditioning for Gone in 60 Seconds: Frostbite Edition." The pub offered an amnesty, asking for the snowman's quiet return with "no names, no shame," or warned the thief would be forever known as "The Person Who Nicked a Snowman."
Social Media Reacts to the Frosty Crime
The unusual theft quickly sparked amusement and bewilderment online. One social media user quipped, "He's only having an Olaf," in a pun referencing the popular Disney snowman. Another joked, "Loads of people would have gotten cold feet, he probably just took frosty for a Brrr-ito."
Others were less impressed by the act. "How sad do you have to be to nick a snowman of all things," one person wrote. A different commenter speculated, "They're that stupid they'll probably try and sell him on Marketplace." The pub confirmed the incident has caused a significant stir locally and online.
Manager Callum Chadwick summed up the general confusion, stating, "It's obviously not something we'll report to police... but we just couldn't understand why someone would want to steal a snowman." He added, "We have no idea who they were and I suspect we'll never find out. Who is going to admit stealing a snowman from a pub?"
