Two 18th Century milestones stolen from Harpenden and Redbourn have been recovered.

The first stone, which is 5ft 8ins in height, was from the A5183 close to the Punchbowl Lane turning in August 2012.

It was discovered by a member of the public in Dodds Lane, Hemel Hempstead, on Friday morning.

A few hours later and around just over six miles away in Barnes Lane, Kings Langley, a milestone stolen from Watling Street on the A5183 St Albans Road in Redbourn, immediately opposite to The Chequers Pub between March 15 and March 27 this year, was found by a member of the public.

Milestones have been placed along major routes since the Roman times and indicate the direction of the next habitation or major town or city. The theft of a milestone is classed as a heritage crime.

Both stones will be placed back in their rightful place at some point in the future.

The attempted theft of a milestone opposite the Hertfordshire showground, in a similar area where the others were taken, has also been discovered.

It is believed this would have happened in March and the offender attempting to take it have used something tied around it to try and pull it from the ground where it is embedded.

Sergeant Tom Fisher, who has been investigating, said: “Appeals have been made to help trace both of these important items of local heritage and I am grateful to those members of the public who have played a vital role in recovering them, and the media for publishing our appeals.

“I would like to make further appeals however, to members of the public who may have been in the areas where these two milestones were found overnight Thursday, April 16 into Friday, April 18 and saw anything suspicious.

"Both of the milestones are extremely heavy and would have needed a vehicle to move and a number of people or equipment to lift them.”

In April 2014, Hertfordshire Constabulary launched Heritage Watch - a scheme which aims to protect the county’s thousands of historical sites, monuments and artefacts from heritage crime.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Fisher via the police non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference number F2/15/430. Alternatively call Crimestoppers, the independent charity, on 0800 555 111.