Antiques thieves ram shop with forklift truck

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after thieves rammed the Swan Antiques Centre at Tetsworth, near Thame, with a stolen forklift truck.

The police have reported that at around 3am on Saturday morning, (24/10) offenders drove on to farmland in Clare Hill, Pyrton, and stole a Caterpillar forklift truck from a shed. They also stole a green Land Rover Discovery from the yard.

They then drove to High Street, Tetsworth, where they rammed the forklift truck into the Swan Antiques Centre, damagomg the structure of the building, removing the door and gaining entry to the centre and stealing antiques. The offenders then drove away in a convoy of vehicles travelling in the direction of Postcombe. Enquiries are ongoing to establish what exactly was stolen.

The three offenders were men and were wearing dark clothing.

Investigating officer PC Jason Walsh, from Didcot Local CID, said: “Officers are working to establish the circumstances of this burglary and the theft of the motor vehicles. Unfortunately the owner of the shop has been a victim in other burglaries previously in which high value antiques and jewellery were stolen.

“The offenders knew what they were doing and went to extreme lengths to enter the building at all costs. At the moment it is unknown what property was stolen in this incident due to the amount of damage caused and debris left behind.

“We are working to identify and locate the offenders. Reassurance patrols have been taking place in the area and any business owners or residents with any concerns can call 101 to speak to their local neighbourhood team.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (LINK HERE) anonymously on 0800 555 111 No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

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