A LION statue stolen after more than 140 years of sitting above a former pub has been returned following an angry reaction from the town.

The ornamental lion was taken from its plinth above the door of Classic Home Improvements - formerly the Golden Lion pub - on Knutsford Road on Friday.

Shop owner Gary Meacham, aged 41, posted an appeal on Facebook with a picture following the theft.

He was stunned after the page got 10,000 views, and went viral on Twitter, with the likes of Warrington Wolve’s Lee Briers and former player Gareth Carvell calling for the lion to be returned.

It was given back on Monday, dumped outside of the shop to be found by Gary.

He said: “I think whoever took it must have seen all of the comments and felt under pressure to bring it back.

“I was really surprised by the reaction.

“I was expecting interest from family and friends, but we got messages from well-wishers from all over town.

“It was an unbelievable response.”

The Grappenhall resident called the lion, which is made of terracotta and painted gold, a ‘landmark’ for Warrington.

It was damaged during the theft, and several pieces were broken off.

Gary is now looking at getting it repaired and said he would have been ‘gutted’ had it not been returned.

“As a kid I grew up drinking in the Golden Lion, so it has a special place in my heart,” said Gary.

“After it was stolen we were looking at getting a replacement, but the lion has been here for over 140 years, and the replacement would have cost around £4,000.

“It was probably taken by drunk kids and it’s a shame they felt the need to climb up there and vandalise it.

“But it’s nice that people have a human side, and they saw the response to it being stolen and decided to return it.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101.