Metal thieves strike again
Bronze statues and aluminium gates taken from Beale Park and Hungerford Common
THREE heavyweight bronze statues have been stolen from Beale Park in Lower Basildon as the spate of metal thefts continues to spread across the area.
Sometime between noon and 2.30pm on August 7 the life size statues, one of a small girl sitting down and two full sized pigs, were taken.
A spokeswoman for the park, Jane Chapman, said "To steal from a charity, it chills your blood, why would anyone do this?.
Elsewhere five aluminium gates have been stolen from Hungerford Common.
The incident is believed to have happened overnight on Sunday, August 7.
The gates, which are used to help the penning of the cattle and are secured with a high tensile steel chain and padlock, were 10ft, five bar structures and as new.
Honrary secretary to the Commons Committee and Trustee of the Town and Manor, Robert James, revealed: “Late last week a dog walker saw a Mitsubishi LT 100 black and grey truck pull up at the lay-by. A young, stocky man got out of the vehicle, ran over to the gates and rattled them.
“On seeing they were secured he walked back to the truck and went. The dog walker took the registration number but by the time she had got home she had forgotten it.”
The chain to the gates, which are valued at £350, was cut with a grinder or cutter and the chain and lock left behind.
Mr James appealed for any farmers being offered such gates for sale, or anyone with information, to contact police.
Neighbourhood officer PC Claire Drewitt said metal thefts continue to be a problem throughout the Hungerford and Lambourn Valley areas and added: “The type of materials being stolen range from lead flashing on roofs to copper water tanks and pipes at building sites, all of which are commonly targeted.
“We appreciate that these items are very difficult to keep secure, but where possible we would suggest always locking these items away even if it is only overnight. The demand for scrap metal as we all now know is very great and has the potential to make most of us possible victims of crime.”
She added: “ I would recommend that if you see people up ladders or on roofs that look out of place or at someone's property that you know they shouldn't be at then please call the police right away. Equally we would also like to hear from you if you see suspicious vehicles driving around the area containing scrap- any information on vehicles involved in scrap can provide the missing link.”
For anyone with information about either incident, Thames Valley Police can be contacted on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively the Crimestoppers charity can be contacted on 0800 555 111.
