THE anonymous crafters whose stitch bombing cheered up Darlington town centre have appealed for their creations to be returned after thieves swiped some of their work.

A knitted handbag, cosy knitted bollard covers and a lovingly crafted patchwork picture of the bandstand in Darlington’s South Park have already been stolen, just days after they mysteriously appeared in the town centre.

A red superhero cape worn by the statue of industrialist, Joseph Pease, has also vanished.

A spokeswoman for the covert crafters - the Darlington Stitch Bombers - said the creations took months to make, and urged people to return the pieces to the town centre.

“People are quite upset by it. We are just trying to do something nice for the town,” she said.

“A lot of time, money and effort went into those. But we are a bunch of women who believe they are not going to bring us down and they are not going to stop us - we will not quit."

However, on a happier note, two tiny knitted mice have been left on some railings in the town’s High Row by another clandestine crafter.

The Darlington Stitch Bombing spokeswoman said: “Just when I had almost lost all respect for some people I saw these two little mice. We have no idea who has put them up.

“Whoever has knitted them is extremely talented. I just hope they stay.”