I’m very sorry to say that when we arrived on site this morning (28th March), we found that the Wickham shed had suffered a break in, we now know this to have been on Tuesday evening.
Approximately £2700 worth of power tools were stolen. Items lost were:
- Cembre Impact Wrench pt # NR-11P about £1600
- Ryobi Chain Saw. £170 to £400
- Petrol Generator Around £300
- Red Devil angle grinder around £40
- Set of Wood Augers. £30
- The Steel Van Safe that contained all of the above, around £300
As well as the lost tools the shed door was badly damaged when they forced entry.
Access was gained via the farm track and the level crossing. Both chains and locks on the field and crossing gate were cut and it would appear that stolen items were carried from the shed up to the crossing for loading into a van or other vehicle.
Obviously this is a big set back. The most critical of the tools for our current work, the impact wrench, will need to be replaced ASAP as tackling upcoming track work without it will be very difficult indeed. Funding a replacement for such a high value item will not be easy…
All remaining tools, rail drill and saw, etc have been removed from site.
STOP PRESS
Amazingly our volunteers have donated the funds required to replace the Impact Wrench so that work on the line can continue this Saturday.
Needless to say all items of value have been removed from the shed permanently.