Councillor's hidden AirTag catches thief who stole stones from 300-year-old wall

A thief who stole historic stones from an 18th-century village wall in Lancashire has been caught, thanks to a tracker slipped into the masonry by a resourceful local councillor.

Around 30 capstones vanished over several months from a half-mile stretch of wall beside the road into Rufford. The wall is thought to date from about 1730 and was built for Rufford New Hall, a Grade II-listed property that later served as a hospital and was then turned into apartments.

The first theft came in May, followed by further raids in June and October. Lancashire Police told residents they were unable to assist, since the area had no CCTV and offered no forensic opportunities.

Councillor Matt Smith, 43, and his neighbours put up signs warning that cameras were watching, but the thief carried on regardless. Installing real cameras was judged too expensive for such a small hamlet.

So, after the third attack in early October, Mr Smith, who also works as a landscaping contractor, tried a cleverer approach. He hid an Apple AirTag in one of the remaining stones, which was already loose, and hoped it would be taken.

It was. Within weeks, he woke to find phone notifications showing that the stone had been moved overnight. He passed its location to the police.

Officers found the stones in the back garden of a 41-year-old man from Manchester, who was arrested and sentenced. The stones from the Rufford wall were reportedly worth around £7,000. Mr Smith says dozens more were recovered from other places across the country, which he believes brings the total value to as much as £40,000.

For Mr Smith, seeing the man brought to justice made the community’s efforts worthwhile. “I’m glad we stood up, and didn’t just tolerate it,” he said.

Mark Harrison, Head of Heritage Crime at Historic England, praised the outcome as an example of what local people and police can achieve together in looking after heritage. He added that traditional stone walls are a defining feature of the Lancashire landscape, and that protecting them helps preserve its character for the future.

Why it matters

Heritage crime can be hard to solve in rural places where there are no cameras, yet it is local people who live alongside these structures and feel the loss. This case shows what a determined community can do when it works with the authorities, and it is a cracking result for a small hamlet. Old walls like this one are part of what gives a place its identity, so keeping them intact matters to everyone who values it.