TOWN councillors in Dover are expected to take legal action to try to recover some of the silverware stolen from the town hall more than 30 years ago.

Audacious thieves broke into the town hall one night in 1969 and got away with many items of the valuable silverware which belonged to the town and the Cinque Ports.

No-one was ever arrested for the crime, and although some of the items have since been recovered, including a large George III circular punchbowl which was found in Australia, other items remain missing.

Two smaller punchbowls and ladles have now been traced to America where a man claims he bought them in good faith soon after the burglary took place.

The man, identified only as a Mr Schuster living in Michigan, claims that the bowls and ladles, which were made by 18th and 19th century silversmith Paul Storr, are worth £80,000 and wants the council to reimburse him.

He also points out that the council has received insurance money for the missing items.

But the councillors maintain that Dover is the rightful owner of the silverware and they are in contact with Kent Police to find out what can be done to get the property back. It is unlikely that they could now trace the burglars.

The councillors have said they are willing to consider offering a sum of no more than £10,000 to cover the costs incurred by Mr Schuster in returning the bowls and ladles to Dover.

Now that the origins of the items are known and have been publicised throughout the silverware trade, it is believed that they are almost valueless to anyone other than Dover Town Council, as no-one would be prepared to buy them.

Letters, phone calls and meetings between the council's representatives and Mr Schuster's solicitor in London have been a regular feature of the past three years, but councillors feel no progress is currently being made.