Shropshire Star

Rugby and football clubs hit by raiders in Bridgnorth

Sports clubs, pubs and outbuildings have been targeted in a spate of burglaries in Bridgnorth.

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In the space of days Bridgnorth's rugby club was vandalised and burgled and the football club was also broken into.

Ian George, facilities manager at Bridgnorth Rugby Club, said it was broken into between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

He said: "They made a great effort to break through the fence. They actually cut the bars to the gate when it would've been just as easy to cut the lock and they've cut the wire fencing when 30 yards down there's a big double gate. They're obviously not the brightest.

"We've got a container where we store strimmers, they've stolen a Flymo petrol hover mower, a brand new strimmer, a new line marker which we've just had and they tried to steal the ride-on lawn mower but they couldn't get it going so they've smashed all the casing and ripped the back off.

"They pushed it up the grounds and tried to get it through the fence but couldn't push it up the bank as its quite a big piece of equipment.

"It's the damage; the mower to get it repaired or replaced will be £1,000 and the strimmer is £300, the line marker is about £1,500. It all adds up, we could end up with a hefty bill.

"I'm a bit disappointed especially at the start of the season, we've had to repair the fence and put a new gate on, very annoying."

Mr George said the club has a meeting with a crime prevention officer and will consider installing CCTV.

He said: "We'll have to look into getting CCTV, or SmartWater."

More Bridgnorth break-ins

In the early hours of October 1, The Danery in Kidderminster Road, and The Black Horse in Bridge Street were broken into, with cash and a safe stolen from The Black Horse but nothing was stolen from The Danery.

Police said the two burglaries could be linked.

A storage container in Kings Nordley was broken into in the early hours of September 27, where a hedge trimmer, strimmer and a chain saw were stolen.

Steve Groom, one of the directors of AFC Bridgnorth, said the last break-in at the club was just weeks after another raid where a safe was stolen.

He said: "This break-in was during a game, they broke into the changing rooms and got into the official's room and stole the linesman's car keys.

"He'd parked close to the entrance making it easy for them to take his car which is unfortunate.

"I'm not a policeman but other licensed premises were broken into that week, it seems more than a coincidence.

"We're going to look at CCTV for the changing rooms or another form of alarm now.

"It's a shame but it looks like it's a necessity. It's a nice quiet little town, not much more than a village, and we're getting a spate of break-ins."

Investigations are ongoing. If anyone witnessed the incidents or has any information, call West Mercia Police on 101.

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