Cow goes missing from parade

The unusual theft of a lifesize model cow is today taxing the brains of Scotland Yard detectives.

Thieves managed to prise the £5,000 creation from its concrete stand in Covent Garden overnight.

The distinctive cow, which is dressed in a bath robe, is part of the Cow Parade - a public art exhibition featuring a herd of 300 glass fibre cows across London.

It is believed the thieves had done a "professional job" in removing the artwork, which went on show last Wednesday and was firmly embedded in a concrete block.

A spokesman for Hilton Hotels, which sponsored the stolen cow, said today: "It is difficult to see what you can do with a cow dressed in a bathrobe with cucumbers over its eyes."

The Cow Parade, which is the brainchild of Zurich-born Walter Knapp, is designed to boost tourism and raise money for charity.