small bronze sparrow which was part of a Tracey Emin sculpture which had gone missing from its home in Liverpool has been returned.

An anonymous caller left a message on BBC Radio Merseyside's answerphone, saying they had left the £60,000 artwork in the grounds of The Oratory.

The bird was found in an envelope marked "FAO Tracey Emin: URGENT!"

A note inside read: "We are sorry - No harm meant. We would have returned it sooner but we were scared xxx."

The local BBC station discovered the disappearance of the bird earlier this week and contacted the police.

Tracey Emin said it was "a crime and an insult to Liverpool."

The artwork, The Roman Standard, which features the 10cm (4in) sparrow on a 4m (13ft) pole, was commissioned by the BBC for the art05 festival three years ago. Emin's work in general is pretty appalling but this sculpture looks quite nice. Must have been made by someone else