Police are appealing for the owners of stolen Asian jewellery and ornaments to come forward.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police service seized the high-value south Asian gold during an investigation into stolen goods.

A jewel encrusted gold ring in the shape of an owl and a statuette of Hindu god Ganesh, made of silver or platinum, were found.

Police also retrieved coins featuring Hindu images as part of the haul, which are believed to be stolen from homes across the UK.

Last year the Wandsworth and Merton both experienced a spate of Asian gold robberies with five men being charged for the offence.

Furzedown, Graveney and Tooting were affected between August 6 and August 20.

Detective Sergeant Ian Gibson, who is leading the investigation, said: "Many of these items are unique. Some feature engravings of names and what we believe is Hindi script. There are a number of items, featuring Hindu and other religious imagery.

"Given the unique nature of these items, we suspect that they are family heirlooms or ceremonial pieces, and that they will hold sentimental value for the owners.

"We are very keen to return these items which we believe have been taken from homes across the UK."

There are 43 images of the items which can be viewed on photo sharing website Flickr.

Visit flickr.com/metropolitanpolice