AN investigation is continuing today after thieves snatched a £15,000 haul of art from an exhibition at a stately home.

Overnight raiders took a number of paintings and sculptures on display ready for the Southern Nature Art Exhibition being held at the Rookesbury Park estate, in Wickham.

In total of 12 paintings and nine sculptures, some in bronze some clay, have been taken belonging to nine artists - one artist had four pieces taken.

Organisers of the exhibition were left devastated after finding empty display panels and tables.

The annual exhibition was due to hold a preview last night and the exhibition then was due to get underway today for a further four days.

Despite the losses organisers vowed the exhibition would go on and said artists had even volunteered to bring in more pieces.

The thieves are thought to have got in through french-style doors to the side of the building and police forensics investigators were working at the scene, off Southwick Road, yesterday.

Works stolen ranged from sculptures worth £95 to one picture by a French artist using a ball point pen worth £3,000.

“It’s really strange,” said exhibition organiser Caroline Pinnells.

“They have cherry picked but there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to what they have picked.

“Some of the artists are more professional and there’s some expensive stuff - they have taken a bit here and a bit there.”

She said they had even taken the plaques describing the works and artists.

“It’s like they’re going to set up their own exhibition,” she added.

It was Caroline who had the difficult job of telling the artists that their work was gone.

In tears she said: “It’s shock really, they don’t believe it - they say ‘ are you joking?’.

“You don’t think these things will happen until they do.

“I’m gutted, absolutely gutted.

“It’s disbelief, absolute disbelief - these artists have put their faith in us.”

Caroline told how she had even been sleeping outside the venue in a campervan at the entrance, but had not become aware there was a problem until she was told by someone that artwork was gone.

The exhibition is an annual event that has been running for 12 years but under a different name.

It is showcasing work by 93 artists who come from Hampshire and all over the country and even one from France.

Police confirmed they had received a report of a burglary overnight between 7pm on Wednesday and 7.50am yesterday.

Anyone with information can call police on 101.