Seized property viewing success and online gallery updated

A property viewing day held earlier this month was successful in identifying the rightful owners of items including paintings, silverware, tools and decorative objects.

We mounted the exhibition of seized property at Edington Village Hall, near Bridgwater, Somerset, on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 February.

The viewing was part of an ongoing investigation into a series of burglaries of homes and outbuildings across Somerset and into the Blackdown Hills area of Devon, north of Honiton.

Detectives seized around 400 items believed to have been stolen, and identifying the rightful owners is a key part of their enquiries.

Since we launched an online gallery in December 2024, almost 250 images have been added resulting in many items being returned. You can claim your belongings using a form on the website. You will need to be able to prove ownership.

We continue to update the gallery with items ranging from power tools to pictures and jewellery to stamp collections.

People burgled between 2023 and November 2024 are among those who have had some of their property back.

Comments from people who went to the viewing day included:

Amanda: “I am so pleased that I have popped up to Edington village and found two of my paintings that had been recovered by the police. Amazing!”

Mark: “It is nice to have a small proportion of the stolen property returned to me and I’m impressed that some of the property has even been found.”

Alexander: “It was the nicest surprise to be told … virtually all of our property had been found.  Seeing our much-loved property back in its rightful place is a daily source of happiness.  Our gratitude and admiration to the police for … recovering property against all odds.” 

Robert: “Following our burglary we had two very quick visits, with PC David Pepper spending a lot of time with us and supporting us. It was an awful thing that happened to us but we have some relief as we have been able to get some of our property back.”

Three men have been charged in connection with multiple burglaries as part of the investigation. They are remanded in custody while court proceedings are underway.