A weekly newspaper has launched a bid to help find Baby Jesus before Christmas after he was stolen from under the noses of the Three Wise Men.

The Annandale Observer launched a front page plea for the return of the Christ Child after he was stolen from a nativity scene outside the Old Parish Church, in Annan.

The Observer was tipped off about the festive theft an hour before its print deadline on Thursday, but managed to break the news to Reverend Dave Whiteman, minister at the church, and get him to pose for a photograph in time for the story to appear the next day.

The Observer ran with the headline ‘Away with the manger’ on the front page of Friday’s edition.

It was accompanied by the following intro: “With the Angel Gabriel looking on, heartless thieves yesterday stole the Son of God… from a nativity scene outside an Annan church.”

Editor Fiona Reid told HTFP: “It was a late breaking news story, happening literally an hour before we went to press.

“A reader called in to let us know Baby Jesus appeared to have gone missing, so my news editor Abbey Morton hot footed it up to the church and interviewed some of the business owners round about to see if they could shed any light on it.

“She also had to break the news to the local minister, who was driving at the time and diverted from his journey to come over and be in a photo. It was really good timing and we were delighted it all worked out.

“Baby Jesus is still missing but we’re hopeful he’ll turn up somewhere unusual next week so we get a follow up and/or a happy ending.”