THE hunt is on in Fernhurst to find the practical joker behind the mysterious appearance of a number of small garden ornaments abandoned overnight with notes attached, outside different village shops and businesses.

Fernhurst postmistress Lizzie Webber found a stray cat statue (pictured) on the Post Office doorstep with a note attached saying “my name is Jess I have lost Postman Pat, please take me to Haslemere sorting office”.

Mrs Webber swiftly discovered she was not the only target and a mole statue had been left outside outside the newsagents, a dog statue outside the Groomery, and a small statue of a house on the green in front of the Crossfield shops, plus reported sightings of two more outside Russett Court sheltered housing scheme.

The message for the statue left outside the dog grooming business read: “My name is Mullet, please send me to The Groomery so I can have a decent hair cut.”

Mrs Webber is keen to unmask the prankster. “It’s all quite bizarre,” she said.

“I think the cat looks a bit familiar. I’ve asked our postman if he has noticed any similar ornaments while doing his rounds down garden paths.

“My youngest daughter thought it was hilarious when she found quite a few dotted around the village. I’ve been postmistress here for 18 years and worked in the shop for 24 years and have never had anything like this before. Someone is having a laugh.”