A MAN whose business unit was broken into the same weekend Launceston Football Clubhouse was burgled is urging fellow businesses to be vigilant.

Keith Hopper said in the past few months they have sadly suffered a spate of break-ins, which they have never experienced before, having had the unit at Pennygillam Industrial Estate for more than a decade.

At some point on the Saturday night or Sunday morning, November 11 and 12, someone broke into the exterior compound of Keith Hopper Electrical Ltd by breaking the padlock and stole approximately £300 of scrap cable.

They then broke the door of the unit as they were unable to get the padlock off, and removed the CCTV box to hide recorded images, stealing one Plasode nail gun and one new 30w LED floodlight.

They emptied the office drawers — Mr Hopper thinks they were looking for vehicle keys for one of the vans was parked outside. Fortunately the keys for that vehicle were not left on site.

“We were done on the Saturday, the night before the football club basically,” he said. “It sounds like it’s happening pretty regularly around the Launceston area.”

Around a month previous to this break-in, Mr Hopper said one of their vans that was parked in the town was broken into by removing the locks and the electricians tools were taken, plus the company’s tools and test equipment.

Around two months ago, their exterior compound was also broken into when scrap cable was again taken, but fortunately they did not manage to access the unit on this occasion.

He added: “The van break-in was the first time we have had anything done at all, it’s all within the last few months. Before that we’ve probably been up [Pennygillam] 12 or 15 years and never had any problems.

“We are aware of the other local burglaries that have been happening and are concerned at the regularity of it.”

His advice to businesses in the area: “Just be very aware, make sure everything is extremely secure. We thought we were secure. They will have gone to quite an extreme to get into the unit. They caused more damage than what they have gained.”

Mr Hopper praised the local police and forensic response, and now awaits results of fingerprinting.

Anyone with any information is asked to email [email protected], or phone 101 quoting reference CR/098745/17.

- Money, a charity box, food and alcohol were stolen from the football clubhouse on Pennygillam Industrial Estate sometime between 8.30pm on Sunday, November 12, and 9.20am on Monday, November 13.

Anyone with information on this incident, or who is in ownership of any CCTV in the area, is asked to email [email protected], or phone 101 line quoting CR/098746/17.

- Police are investigating a burglary that took place at Bude Rugby Football Club.

The incident occurred some time between 10.30pm on Thursday, November 16 and 9am the following day.

Offenders smashed the window on a door to get inside the premises. They took a small amount of cash, £25 worth of confectionary, bottles of Doom Bar and Tribute Ale valued at £12 and a cream coloured dustbin.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on [email protected] or by phoning 101, quoting reference number CR/100094/17.