REGULARS at a North Yorkshire pub are appealing for the return of one of its most popular residents.

Minty the sheep, who has lived at the King William pub in Barton, near Richmond, since he was a lamb, went missing overnight on Friday.

Landlady Michaela Postlewhaite said the friendly, one-year-old sheep had become a firm favourite among pub-goers and village youngsters, and that anyone who brings Minty back home safe and sound will get a free pint.

She said: “The pub’s just not been the same without him.”

Ms Postlewhaite said Minty, who spends most of his time in a field next door to the pub, must have gone missing late on Friday night.

“I heard him bleating as usual just before I went to sleep,” she said.

“When we went out the next morning he was gone.

“The gate to the field is all locked up so we’re pretty sure he hasn’t been stolen - he’s obviously just got through a gap in the fence somewhere and wandered off.”

Ms Postlewhaite said her two children - Ashley, 11, and eight-year-old Liam - had got together with youngsters from the village, and created a poster to appeal for Minty’s return.

She described Minty as “just an average-looking sheep,” with no distinctive features.

“The pub’s just not the same without him,” she said. “We’ve had him about a year and he is very popular with customers, and the children love him.

“We got him because we thought it would be nice to have a pet sheep about the place, and he certainly settled in and made himself at home.

“While we’re not offering a financial reward for his return, anyone who finds him and brings him back will be very welcome at the King William, and will certainly get a free pint.

“Minty has become a big part of life here at the pub, and we’d really love to see him back.”