12 boats burgled in night raid

THIEVES swooped on the moorings by the Ash Tree pub at Rugeley on the Trent & Mersey Canal in the middle of the night breaking into 12 boats.

This occurred between 3,30am and 4.30am in the early morning, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage as force was used to gain entry to the boats.

Well planned

These were at the moorings by the Ash Tree pub on the off-side of the waterway between Rugeley and Armitage, with the attack well planned with the thieves obviously having the tools to break into the boats, and using a boat themselves to carry out the break-ins.

The whole purpose was to steal whatever they could, with a considerable amount of property stolen.  Anything in fact that has a value.

Neighbourhood beat officer PC Dave Griffiths,  explained:

Stolen property

"The offenders accessed the narrowboats from the canal, using a boat themselves. They are then believed to have loaded the stolen property into a vehicle and driven off.

"We would take this opportunity to remind canal enthusiasts to ensure their boats are secured and not to leave valuable property on board."