BIZARRE sculptures that look like they could have been crafted on Easter island are set to hit East Lancashire shops to help decorate gardens - if they stay in one place long enough.

Ian Livesey's huge cement figures are so unusual that people have been stealing them almost as soon as they have been sited in his garden and five have been taken in the past two weeks.

Ian, of St Marys Wharf, Blackburn, was inspired by the Easter Island Gods to create his own collection of character sculptures - Hugo, Eye Wok and Gargoyle.

But the distinctive statues have become a target for thieves and Ian said: "I think that they have been taken as a prank by somebody that lives close by to me, because you would have to get near the house to be able to see them.

"It would have taken some strong men to be able to remove them, which is why I do not think it is children.

"I am going to be putting another sculpture in the garden that weighs 16 stone, and I will cement it down so it can't be taken.

"The designs are exclusive to our company, so if anybody has got one in their garden it is obvious that it has been stolen. Nobody else in Lancashire has any.

"Only one other Hugo has been sold to somebody in Yorkshire, although none of the others that have been stolen have been sold anywhere, which makes them very distinctive."

Two full size Hugo's priced at £100 each have been taken along with two Eye Woks, that cost £50 each and a Gargoyle that retails also at £50. They are very heavy and the ones that were taken from Ian's garden weighed up to eleven and a half stones.

Ian, 25, who works in the family business with his mother Trudy and father Jack at Pennine Rock, Horn Street, Accrington, said: "We are preparing for the sculptures to be really successful. We can tell that they are causing a stir because somebody keeps pinching mine.

"Everybody has heard of the Easter Island Gods and they are great to look at and will feature as a main focal point in any garden.

"Brain Clegg, the designer, wants to draft an eight-foot high Island god. We think that this may be a little unrealistic, but we will be giving it a go in the future, when we have grown in experience.

"The real ones can reach heights of 30 feet, so if somebody else has managed to do that then we should be able to create one that will stand at less than half the size of the real ones."

The sculptures are exclusively designed by Oldham-based Brian Clegg for Pennine Rock and are not produced anywhere else in the country. They go on sale in September from garden centres all around the county.

The history of the Easter Island Gods goes back to as far as the 10th century. The Easter Islands is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is situated between Chile and Tahiti and is a triangular shaped island mostly made of volcanic rock.

The Moai are huge stone carved figures that dot the coastline, the carvings are believed to represent two classes of people that were so called the long ears and the short ears that lived on the island.

Sergeant Andrea Barrow, of Blackburn police, said: "We are aware that the sculptures have been removed from the garden and we would encourage anybody with any information to contact the police as soon as possible."

Ian is appealing for anyone that may have seen the scarce sculptures to either contact Blackburn police or himself on 01254 240310.