A HEARTBROKEN North Yorkshire man is offering a £1,000 reward for the return of his prized horse-drawn rulley.

Robert Taylor from Pickering arrived at his yard on Sunday to discover thieves had smashed through locked iron gates and stolen his pride and joy, a decorative horse-drawn cart which he has shown at agricultural shows across the county.

Mr Taylor, who is 78 this month, said: "I have had it 11 or 12 years and I could have sold it time again for a lot of money, but I didn't want to, it's my bit of pleasure. I have done a lot of shows and everyone round here will know it.

"It was in a shed all locked up - it has never stood outside in its life, it's a work of art."

Mr Taylor said his nephew had visited their yard on Haygate Lane last week, and noticed there had been a break-in.

But nothing was stolen and Mr Taylor said he believed the thieves had returned on Saturday night to take the rulley, valued at about £5,000.

"This time the chain had been cut to the big iron gates," he said. "It has broken my heart. They have taken a lot of tools as well and stuff was thrown all about - photos were even taken off the walls.

"I have done a lot of painting on it and it was gilded all down the side with Robert Taylor written on the back. There must have been a gang of them to get it out of the shed."

Mr Taylor said as well as the cash reward, he was ringing round friends who also show horse-drawn carts in the hope they may hear of his rulley being offered for sale.

"It's a lot of money to me, £1,000, but I am hoping someone may have heard something," he said.

"It's terrible what these people have done, but then they don't think about that."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ryedale Witness Line on (01723) 509662.

Updated: 10:20 Wednesday, February 05, 2003