This is the moment thieves successfully stole antique shotguns from a Burgh Castle pub.

The guns, which were displayed as part of the decor of the Queen’s Head, were ripped from the wall and taken by two unknown suspects.

CCTV footage shows one of the men pulling the deactivated weapons from the wall, before a second smuggles them out of the pub in his trousers.

The rifles had been bought by owner David James from an antiques shop and promptly deactivated, along with a number of others displayed inside.

Mr James said: “The guns have always been a brilliant talking point and I bought them as a nod to the wild fowling history in the area.

“I’m very proud of them, but something like this happening makes me want to take all the others down, which would be such a shame given that they do make such a topic of discussion.”

Mr James spent around £1,000 on the two shotguns, including the cost of having them deactivated, and he believes they may have been between 150 and 200 years old.

Mr James added: “We didn’t actually realise they were doing it at the time, as we were concentrating on serving other customers, but they were obviously quite well prepared.

“The guns had been there between two and three years and there are a few others displayed all around the walls.”

Now, Mr James has released the CCTV footage of the incident in the hope of assisting police with ongoing investigations into the theft.

It happened at around 8pm on Saturday, October 28, with police officers yet to trace the thieves, who it is thought could be in the Lancashire, Manchester or Yorkshire areas.

Mr James added: “We would love to have them returned but I think the people are probably now long gone.

“Had we seen them at the time I have no doubt they would have been caught them by now, but it was not until later we noticed they were gone.”

Anybody who can help police identify the men, should contact PC Richard Bennett at Great Yarmouth Police Station on 101.