Jobs saved at Telford firm hit by £400,000 raid
Workers facing redundancy after thieves raided their factory in Telford have had their jobs saved, bosses said this afternoon.
Bosses at Cobra Seats feared they would have to cut hours and staff this Christmas after thieves stole £400,000 of World Rally car parts.
But Mark Dunsford, managing director of the firm at Halesfield, said customers had agreed to bring forward work planned for January and February so production could continue.
Thieves targeted the firm two weeks ago stealing the parts, which police believe have been sold on for just £760.
Mr Dunsford said the parts cost £50,000 but were worth nearly 10 times that to the business in production terms.
He said: “I am still really, really angry about what has gone on. These people have no idea of the aggravation they cause for just a few hundred quid.
But he added: “With the support of our customers and our bank we have been able to bring some work forward and that has averted the threat of redundancies or short time in the run-up to Christmas.”
Thieves broke into the firm on October 13 or October 14 and stole 4,000 recliner mechanisms for rally seats.
Police today said they believed the parts had been sold for just £760, less than 0.2 per cent of their value.
After the break-in, police checked CCTV and traced a van to a nearby pub car park. A 20-year-old man from Coventry was arrested on Friday night. He has now been released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
Detective Inspector Gordon Roberts, West Midlands head of the regional metal theft taskforce, said: “Inquiries led officers to a scrapyard in Dudley, where the stolen components are believed to have been sold for just £760, a fraction of what they were worth. Unfortunately the parts have not been recovered.”
By Wayne Beese