Distressed youngsters at a private nursery in Prestwich have gone Laa-Laa over the theft of their Teletubbies.

New giant cut-outs of the TV heroes were stolen from Holyrood nursery and pre-school over the weekend, November 1-2.

And glum kids are demanding that the heartless thieves return them.

About 70 children are registered at the nursery in Bury Old Road and many of them were horrified to discover that the four plywood cut-outs had been stolen.

They disappeared from the top of a bay window outside the nursery, where they were screwed down into blocks of wood at least 20ft off the ground.

Children arriving at the nursery on Monday instantly realised their Teletubbies had gone.

The nursery caters for children up to the age of four. Manager Lynn Blay said: "It is disgusting. In effect the thieves have stolen from babies.

"The shapes had been up for about two months and the children loved them. They used to look at them before coming into the nursery and again when they went home at night. The children are very upset and their parents are angry.

"The shapes are at least 4ft high and quite heavy and were specially made by our workmen who spent a lot of time on them. Someone must have seen them being taken.

"It is terrible for the children and I can't believe this has happened."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.