A Roman altar has been stolen from the Senhouse Roman Museum in Maryport.

The small altar is 25cm long and 13cm wide and made of red sandstone.

Museum staff fear it may have been damaged during the theft as it was wrenched from iron clamps, which have been bent.

The altar, which was at least 1,600 years old, was on display in the main gallery of the museum when it was stolen during opening hours last Thursday. 

Jane Laskey, museum manager, said: “The issue of course is that we have the collection on display for visitors and we don’t have a lot of our things in glass cases because we like people to get close to them.

“It is absolutely devastating that somebody who has visited the museum has taken one of our really very precious objects.”

The altar was discovered at the Maryport Roman site in 1880.

A stick man with a square body and little lines for arms and legs is inscribed in the red sandstone.

Like all Roman altars, it has a little dish in the top where the Romans would have poured their offerings to the gods.

Mrs Laskey was at a loss as to why someone would want to steal the altar.

She said: “It really only has any significance because it’s part of a bigger collection.

“This is why we have these objects in museums so that everybody can appreciate them.

“If somebody then steals something like that then it deprives everybody.”

A combination of the school summer holidays and final week of the five-year Maryport Roman Temples Project led to a surge in visitors to the museum last week.

Mrs Laskey said: “On Thursday alone about 100 visitors passed through the museum.

“We’ve had some really, really, really busy days.”

It is the first time anything has been stolen from the museum, which is now reviewing its security.

The CCTV footage from the museum has been made available to Cumbria police, who are investigating the theft.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Cumbria police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.