BURGLARS missed a trick when they targeted an empty house in Beeston.

The owners of the house on Whitchurch Road had asked Bill Witter from Wright Manley to sell the house and its contents.

Bill said: “We had gone in to look at the contents of the house and do a valuation for the sale. I had gone round the house and just asked the owner if there was anything outside of interest.

“The reply came back ‘nothing, only a couple of old marble heads in fact when we were burgled they stole a garden seat and left them behind so we hid them in a corner in bin bag behind some timber’.”

When Bill went to inspect them his specialist eye quickly realised they were two extremely rare busts.

Bill said: “It was very exciting, one of those once in a lifetime discoveries.”

One of the busts despite not having a head sold at the Wright Manley's Beeston Fine art saleroom for £7,520.

The bust of Ceasar with a head sold for £9,635.

Bill added: “I couldn’t believe those burglars had missed the busts. Hadn’t they watched the Antiques Roadshow? I should now start advising people to not only to check their attics for valuables but to check their gardens too.”