Stolen Van Gogh, Picasso paintings found by toilet

Three stolen paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Paul Gauguin were found yesterday - damp but intact - outside a disused public toilet.

Acting on an anonymous tip, police discovered the three paintings rolled in a tube outside toilets near the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, northern England. Gallery spokeswoman Jo Beggs said Van Gogh's 1878 painting The Fortifications of Paris with Houses had sustained a "quite significant" tear in its fabric, and the other works suffered minor water damage.

Greater Manchester police said a note found with the paintings suggested they had been taken to highlight lack of security at the gallery.