A GARDENING group has been left stung after an ornamental beehive was stolen. 

Upton in Bloom have been annoyed after one of its beehives was stolen from Upton clocktower on April 7. 

Built by one of the volunteers, Tony, it is not active and the group has been left confused by who stole it and, due to its size, believe it would have required a lot of help. 

Volunteer, Moya Jordan, 79, said: "We had a good clear out, made the tulips look lovely and all the spring flowers come through and it was sort of near the end and I said 'there's something strange, where's the beehive?'.

"We don't quite know when it went missing but somebody would have had to have a car otherwise Upton's groundsmen would have spotted it if it had been picked up and dumped somewhere."

According to Moya, Upton groundsmen are on a mission to find the beehive by looking in hedgerows and people's gardens but it is yet to reappear. 

Upton in Bloom is a group that works to put Upton in the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom competition, a nationwide gardening contest. 

Moya said: "As volunteers, we enter a competition every year that is run by the RHS and we've won gold for the last four years. 

"We actually got put into the top layer last year which was England in Bloom and we were very privilege to have to go to Wisley and get presented."

For Moya, this work and effort the group put in has made the theft all the more painful, especially due to the emotional connection. 

Although the group could buy another from a garden shop, it was unique piece built by Tony who is limited on how much more woodwork he can do.

She said: "I feel more passionate about the fact if I'd gone and bought it at Haskins, we just have to buy another but someone made it within our family of Upton in Bloom and he's so lovely.

"His wife keeps nagging him to stop doing wood carving so we're waiting for him to get a bit better."

The group has not contacted police over the incident.