Business raided two hours after shutdown

A BUSINESS was raided less than two hours after closing for coronavirus — and could have lost £10,000 of stock had it not been moved safely into storage.
 

A BUSINESS was raided less than two hours after closing for coronavirus — and could have lost £10,000 of stock had it not been moved safely into storage.

Owner John Turner has offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to conviction after the break-in at Turner Hire and Sales on Thames Street, Rotherham.

Security footage showed three suspects at the scene last Thursday evening — even driving their getaway van through the nearby pedestrian subway.

Managing director Mick Holmes said: “We carry very high value and very desirable items. On the CCTV, you can see the panic of them realising that after working everything out, it was just empty boxes.

“Basically, we shut down and this happened about an hour-and-a-half after, at just turned 7pm.

“They smashed the glass and cut the bars to get in. They knew exactly what they were doing. Fortunately, we had moved the stock. So they were successful in getting through but they didn’t get what they were there for, which could have been worth £5,000 to £10,000. They did take some stuff, but that would have been worth £500 at most.

“It’s difficult enough for everybody and having to deal with situations like this on top of that can be heart-breaking.”

The business, which has three other branches, provides plant tools and equipment to the building, construction and DIY trade.

Mr Holmes said: “We’ve now increased security considerably and had the alarm system upgraded to hopefully deter anyone else. Every one of these events is another school day for us.

“Businesses need to support one another because, quite frankly, it’s war. People are going to be trying things like this.

“Hopefully, the saving grace will be that the police don’t have some other things to deal with so can be aware. They have been good with us.”

Mr Turner (right)?said he hoped the incident would highlight how vulnerable businesses could be during the coronavirus shutdown.

He added: “We take security very seriously and this happened to us less than two hours after we closed.

“The security on our buildings is very, very high. “We’ve had experiences over the years which have led us to increase the security.

“We have bars on the windows and all sorts of things. But they have still smashed their way into the building.

“One thing for all these companies shutting down because of coronavirus, it’s important they remember that there’s nobody about now. That’s the first thing a criminal looks for is when it’s quiet.”

He added: “We have more protection than most. It means all companies in Rotherham are vulnerable. I hope this shows them that we all need to sharpen up our resilience.

“People need to be more vigilant, especially at night, and report anything they see to the police. If anyone can give information in our case which leads to arrest and conviction, I’m offering a reward of £1,000.”

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: “While out on foot patrol last Thursday at around 7pm, officers were alerted to an alarm activation at Turner Hire and Sales on Thames Street.

“It is believed that offenders gained access to the building via a window. Power tools have been reported stolen.”

Mr Holmes said CCTV showed someone near the van as it drove under the subway. He is hopeful the witness will come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident 738 of March 26.