A Weymouth café owner has been reunited with a stolen six-foot ice cream cone.

Nearly five months after a giant ice cream cone was stolen from the Caddy Shack at Weymouth and Portland Rugby Club, owner Emma Ayles has finally been reunited with it.

The theft of the display cone was caught on CCTV and shared to social media by Emma with the caption, ‘If anyone hears of anyone trying to sell a 6ft ice cream please get in touch. This person knew it was there as went straight to it.’

The post became very popular, receiving thousands of views on the Caddy Shack Facebook page and many viewers shared it across the platform in hope of it being found. The crime was never reported to Dorset Police and Emma thought she would never see the giant cone again. 

But months later it was discovered by a dog walker, abandoned in woodland near to where it was stolen from.

Idris Martin was out walking his two dogs, Honey the golden retriever and Sheba the Labrador through Lodmoor Country Park, when the dogs spotted a rabbit and ran into the undergrowth.

Dorset Echo: The missing ice cream cone, found in the bushes of Lodmoor Country Park by Golden Retriever Honey. Pic. Idris Martin.The missing ice cream cone, found in the bushes of Lodmoor Country Park by Golden Retriever Honey. Pic. Idris Martin. (Image: Idris Martin)

Mr Martin said: “I called and called the dogs to no avail, so I followed them into the brambles and low and behold I came upon what we as kids would call a den, with armchairs, a table, a supermarket trolley and the missing cone.

“I loaded the cone into the trolley and wheeled it back to the Caddy Shack where I re-united Emma with her missing cone and she was pretty grateful”. 

The cone was relatively new at the time as the cafe had it on display to make customers aware that the outdoor eatery had begun selling soft whipped ice cream.

Emma Ayles said: “I am extremely grateful to Idris for finding it and bringing it back, I’m glad to have it back and can’t believe it was around the corner all this time.”

The Caddy Shack, which was built from an old shipping container by Mrs Ayles's husband, re-located to the Rugby Club in April last year from Wessex Golf Centre.