Millions Worth of Stolen Antiques Found in Raids on U.K. Country Estates

TANKERSLEY, England – Millions of dollars worth of antiques, stolen during a series of raids targeting English country manors, have been found stashed in an abandoned caravan and a lock-up garage, it was reported Monday.

Police estimate the haul of recovered property is worth about £5 million (US$7.72 million) and included, according to The (London) Times, "a Chippendale table described as of 'worldwide importance' ... a bracket clock of about 1710 ... and more than £1 million worth of Sevres and Meissen porcelain from Firle Place in Sussex."

The daring burglary of Firle Place was reconstructed by the BBC's popular "Crimewatch" show last year.

The estate's owner Lord Gage told The Times he was "absolutely thrilled" to be reunited with the missing articles -- most notably a pair of Louis XVI ormolu and Sevres bleu vases, a 1743 Meissen statue called "The Indiscreet Harlequin" and a rare Sevres Hollandois Nouveau vase from 1761.

Police swoops on properties at Tankersley in Yorkshire resulted in the recovery of the goods and the arrest of two men, aged 68 and 44. The action followed a long-running investigation into burglaries targeting England's so-called "stately homes" over recent years.

Detective Superintendent Steve Waite, from West Yorkshire Police, told the Daily Mail, "Only a couple of items have suffered minor damage in the ordeal, but this just goes to show that those involved in the thefts were not in it for their love of antiques.

"In fact, recent trends indicate that these types of high-value items are actually being used by organized crime groups as currency or collateral in relation to serious criminality, often involving drugs."