Thieves strike again through tunnel (From Malvern Gazette)

Thieves strike again through tunnel

2:10pm Wednesday 22nd August 2007 in News By Jack Davidson

THIEVES took advantage of flood defences to tunnel through the wall of an engineering company and steal raw materials on Sunday night.

Bob Bennet, a partner in Rhobus Engineering in Blackmore Park Industrial Estate, had knocked out two bricks in an attempt to drain away flood water from his business.

But thieves managed to widen the hole and squeeze through into the factory, where they stole stainless steel and bronze worth £80.

Mr Bennet said: "Whoever broke in must have been tiny to fit through the hole in the wall. It could have been kids."

This incident is part of a spate of thefts that have blighted the industrial park in recent years. Mr Bennet said: "I take most stuff home in the car now, because I can't afford to take the risk of leaving it here."

Rhobus engineering had been subject to an attempted theft the previous Tuesday. On that attempt, Mr Bennet claimed the thieves "had a good go" at gaining entry, but were unsuccessful.

Mr Bennet said: "Many of the businesses down here have been broken into. One place has even been hit five times. Theres a real agony in seeing that they've struck again."

The site near the Three Counties Showground houses over 30 businesses and the owners had previously erected fencing to stop people entering the site. The two break-ins follow a spell of relative quiet, with the last spate of thefts occuring a year ago.