A thief on an electric bike has been recorded on CCTV stealing a giant Christmas Nutcracker soldier statue from outside an Edinburgh cocktail bar.

The person, who appears to be male and wearing a hood and a mask, puts the 8ft soldier, which cost £900, horizontally across his lap and rides off.

The incident, which happened at Copper Blossom at the corner of George Street and North Castle Street at 22:10 on Monday, has been reported to the police.

Manager Paul Paxton told BBC Scotland he was "shocked" at the brazen theft, which took place while people were walking past.

Nutcracker Soldier dolls are a traditional German Christmas decoration dating back to the 17th Century.

The 28Ib (13kg) figure was part of a Christmas display costing thousands of pounds outside the basement bar.

The video shows the man pushing over furniture and breaking a £350 table.

He then rips the statue from the railings and drags it onto his bike before riding off while balancing the soldier across the vehicle.

The thief is then seen riding east on George Street in the direction of St Andrew's Square.

Mr Paxton said when he watched the CCTV footage back, he could not believe how the thief removed the decoration in front of three passers-by.

"People were walking past as he was loading up his bike; it's so shocking," he said.

"We were still open and had just stacked up all the outdoor furniture in front of the statue five minutes beforehand. He cycles up on his e-bike, and it all happens in the space of a minute; it's so fast.

"He pushed everything aside and pulled the tables over, and one falls and breaks, and then he yanks the Nutcracker away.

"He falls off his bike once while trying to put it on and struggles to lay it horizontally across him.

"It's an 8ft statue horizontally across a little e-bike. The people on the street didn't really bat an eyelid."

He said it was "frustrating" to have lost one of the front door centrepieces of the display when it wasn't even December yet.

"We're a city centre venue, but we are small, so we rely on our front door to get some traffic because we are a basement venue."

The statue was part of a pair, and the other one is now being kept indoors overnight.

Police Scotland said inquiries were at an early stage.