‘Phantom gnome snatcher’ of Formby admits prank almost 50 years on

Arthur tells Vernon Kay on Radio 2 he left ransom notes in place of garden ornaments in seaside town in 1977

The closest residents in the sleepy seaside town of Formby got to violent crime in 1977 was, the BBC solemnly reported, by watching Kojak.

So the mysterious disappearance of garden ornaments, replaced by sinister ransom notes, was big news. It led to a media circus as journalists were dispatched to investigate the “phantom gnome snatcher of Formby”.