Sticky-fingered squirrel caught on camera stealing light bulbs

By Jake Meeus-Jones

A woman who noticed light blubs missing from her garden captures the culprit on camera - a squirrel who has nabbed a whopping 25 of them.

Sophie Del Gaudio O’Brien, 37, spotted the pesky rodent scamper across her garden fence clutching one of her garden bulbs last Wednesday (March 12).

A stunned Sophie then noticed more of her bulbs had gone missing and soon enough managed to capture 'Mr Squirrel' on camera - a name given by her daughter.

The following morning she noticed there were just three left hanging up and by the time she'd made her daughter's breakfast, they were all gone.

Of course, Sophie was curious to know where they were being taken and she worked it out after a neighbour spotted the bulbs below a tree in her garden.

Sophie, a graphic designer from Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, said: "He must be decorating his little den with them!

"The neighbor initially thought their decorators were littering in the garden!

"We've had Mr Squirrel drinking out of the bird bath for few years but last week I spotted him across the fence.

"I love the lights in the garden and he pinched one and ran off.

"The next day I noticed quite a few missing and the same thing happened the next day.

"There were 25 on a set and he's so far taken a whole set!"

The Stealing Squirrel may have stolen enough bulbs and moved on to his next target with Sophie confirming she hasn't seen him since Saturday (March 15).

She added: "We've been looking out for him again as he'd started taking another set.

"On Saturday he came back with a bulb and he tried to bury it in a plant pot but since Saturday we haven't seen him so maybe he's started on someone else's garden."