Masked Romanian burglary gang targets FARMHOUSE: Owners warned to be on alert after series of raids on luxury rural stores
- Police would be ‘astonished’ at highly coordinated methods of robbery gangs
- Balaclava-clad Romanian speakers caught on cameras at countless farm shops
- They even crawled around the £10,000 alarm system in a shop to dodge the warning
- NFU Mutual: ‘We’ve never had such a series of well-organized raids’
A gang of balaclava-clad Romanian thieves are believed to be behind a series of farm shop break-ins in the Midlands, Northwest and North Wales.
At least seven upscale farm shops have been targeted in the past four weeks, with CCTV suggesting the same group of highly skilled criminals are behind them.
They even managed to get around the £10,000 alarm system by crawling down the aisles like commandos.
The men made off last month with £16,000 worth of notes from a certified safe in Denstone Hall, Staffordshire.
Denstone Hall owner Rupert Evans, 50, said it was likely the gang had visited the store that day
The gang crawled on the floor of the aisles in Denstone Hall in commando style last month
Evans added: ‘It is extremely disturbing for all of us to realize that criminals have been in the shop trying to figure out how to get back and break in’
Insurers NFU Mutual warned that burglars have abused the rural, often isolated locations of the farm shops.
Spokesperson David Harrison said: “We are very concerned that organized criminals are exploiting the remote locations of many farm shops to commit burglaries.”
“We’ve never had such a series of well-organized raids.”
Denstone Hall owner Rupert Evans claims they even stole staff tips. The Sunday Times reported.
Mr Evans, 50, said: ‘Watching them crawl to keep the alarm from going off was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.
“I tested it myself and tried to do what they did, just to check why the alarm didn’t go off.
“They were like something out of The Matrix movie, with their ski snoods on with a small opening over their eyes.”
The same group is suspected of robbing Wolverhampton’s Essington Farm store on July 4.
But on that occasion, they did activate the alarm system – and escaped empty-handed.
“I was on the property at the time and arrived just a minute late,” owner Will Simkin told the newspaper.
Police say they are “surprised” at the sophistication of the gang’s methods.
Staffordshire Police added: “Officers are conducting a comprehensive investigation and would encourage anyone with information or camera or dashcam footage to contact Staffordshire Police.”
Meanwhile, North Wales Police urged farmers to be wary of suspicious activity by customers during opening hours.
Mr Evans said: the grocer this week: “They knew the company’s layout, so it seems very likely that they locked in the joint for the attack.
“The most important thing is that no one was hurt because it happened at night.
“However, it is extremely disturbing for all of us to realize that criminals have been in the store to return and break in.”