Children's author Grant Slatter came up with the slogan "where did all the odd socks go?" to capture the imagination of the young mind. But then 25,000 pairs of his odd socks really got stolen.

Unfortunately for the Battersea wordsmith, the batch of odd socks which accompany his books - worth around £125,000 - are now in the hands of thieves who stole the woolly footwear from a lorry depot near Ipswich.

The socks had been destined for Woolworths stores as a must-have accessory to go with the Oddies storybook. Mr Slatter's book and sock set could become the children Christmas sensation in the UK.

Mr Slatter said: "It is ironic. The whole fact that they have gone missing is a story, it is ridiculous."

Oddies is about a fantasy land where all the odd socks end up after losing their pairing in the washing machine.

There are all kinds of oddies - policeman, nurse, footballer and even robber oddie - who goes around stealing odd socks.

Thieves stole the socks after breaking a container in a lorry some time between 9.30pm on September 2 and 7.30pm on September 5, at Beardmore Park, Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich.

But it is not all bad news. The socks are insured and the theft has raised publicity about the Oddies books. Mr Slatter does not believe it will have a damaging affect on sales. Major retailers from Ottakars to Woolworths are ready to stack Oddies books on their shelves in November during the run-up to Christmas shopping.

"There was a feeling it was a publicity stunt, but it totally was not," Mr Slatter said.

"Once it happened we realised it could make a good story. The reason was also to say if you are offered these things, they are stolen. We have managed to make the best of a bad situation - it is a fun story, but very serious."