A business owner has slammed a ‘sickening’ theft after vandals targeted his shop with links to Roald Dahl.

Since opening on the High Street 24 years ago, the owner of interior architecture business Tompson Design, Paul Tompson has invested time and money looking after the striking red petrol pumps in front his shop.

The original petrol station is rumoured to have inspired Dahl’s Danny the Champion and they are popular among tourists and villagers alike.

Now Great Missenden villagers have rallied behind Tompson Designs after thieves took the pump tops again on Sunday 21 May.

Mr Tompson said the pumps were “must be the most focal part of the village High Street” with link to the red pump garage in Dahl’s book.

“Instead of ripping them out in 1999 we kept them and maintained them since.

“It’s a bit sickening really when you maintain something like that for the benefit of the village and someone steals them.

“If you were to see the number of people having their picture taken with the pumps,” he said.

Bucks Free Press: A plea to help find the pump tops A plea to help find the pump tops (Image: Anonymous)

The original vintage pump tops dating back to the 1920s and 1930s were replaced with replicas years ago, but vandals have not been deterred.

“We’ve had occasions over 23 years, one after the other were taken, hoses mistreatment and rubbish,” the Missenden resident of 30 years said.

Original vintage pump tops cost around £1,000-£2,000 while the replicas are around £350 each.

“When they’re gone, they are gone. We’re not going to see them again.

“I can’t imagine anyone will return them but they’ll sell them on eBay.

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Although he was planning to replace them, it was “frustrating” and “time consuming” to do so repeatedly.

A resident, who asked not to be named, told the Free Press: “The owners take good care with the upkeep of the pumps but are fed up with continuous vandalism and may remove the pumps altogether. Please help our village get the domes back!”

Roald Dahl Museum pleaded with the public to help return a “treasured feature on the High Street.”

“It’s a huge shame that something like this has happened,” the museum said in a Facebook post.