The bust of Jane Austen that used to reside in the Jane Austen Garden in Lyme Regis is missing after renovations, and the proprietors are reduced to begging in the local press to get it back.

Merry Bolton, chairman of the environment group, said: “We can’t find Jane Austen’s head anywhere. We can’t find it in the store where all the things from the Jane Austen Garden were kept when all the works were going on.

“I have been on to Lyme Regis Town Council and West Dorset District Council about it and they can’t find it – does anybody know what happened to it?”

If we recall correctly, the bust was not the most attractive thing in the world, anyway. While we are appreciative of the value of an historical object, maybe it’s time for a new one.