THE owners of a collection of artwork are being sought by police after the pictures were found abandoned in a car park.

The pictures were recovered by officers on Saturday, December 3, in the Newton Cap Viaduct car park, near to the old railway lines, in Bishop Auckland.

No-one has reported the items as stolen but they appear to be packaged for transit. The prints include work by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and a framed photo of the HMS Ajax.

If the owners are not located in the next few weeks the pictures will be destroyed.

PCSO Chris Elms, of Bishop Auckland Neighbourhood Police Team said: “We haven’t had any reports of these items having been stolen and so far we’ve been unable to find out where they came from.

“The prints appeared to be packaged for transit. At the moment they are in storage, however if they are not claimed within the next few weeks they will be destroyed.

“I’ve looked through the items and from the markings on some of them I think they could be of sentimental value to their rightful owners. It is possible that they may also be of financial value.

“Included in the collection were prints by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and a framed photo of the HMS Ajax which had a note on it saying it was presented to its rightful owner in 1985.

He added: “We’ve held some of the other details back so that the person who they belong to is able to identify them.

“We are hoping that by releasing these photographs and details we may be able to locate the owners.”

Anyone who thinks that they may know who the artwork belongs to is asked to contact PCSO Elms, at Bishop Auckland police station, on 101.