Football club ‘devastated’ after break-in
Beccles Town Football Club. Picture: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
A football club has been left “devastated” after £2,000 worth of equipment was stolen during a break-in.
Thieves smashed a padlock, broke a floodlight and ransacked a container at Beccles Town Football Club overnight between Monday, July 23, and Tuesday, July 24.
During the burglary a red and yellow hydraulic breaker worth £2,000 was stolen.
The tool was loaned to the club by local tradesman Steven Elphick, and was being used by groundsmen Shaun Soloman and Chris Brown as they worked to install two 20ft steel containers on the site.
Mr Soloman said: “Steven has been a diamond for the club over the past few years.
“He’s a self-employed builder; he needs the breaker for work.
“Me and Chris are devastated – we are going to have to work hard to raise funds to cover this equipment.”
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He added: “Last year we put up a 6ft fence with a gate and lock; they have smashed the floodlight to give themselves some darkness and smashed the padlock to the gate.
“The fence went up recently and before that we had the odd bit of trouble; teenagers on the grounds and in the dugout, but there was never really any damage.
“It’s just disappointing we have got to a lot of extra work to get the funds back.
“I don’t think we are going to get the equipment back, we are just going to have to do fundraising.”
The 51-year-old has been involved with the club in some capacity since he was nine and now works to make the pitch “the best we can”.
He said: “Me and Chris do it for the kids of the town, so they want to play on a pitch like that.
“We want Beccles kids to play at a lovely pitch in Beccles.”
Mr Soloman believes the attack was planned and targeted.
He said: “There were plenty of opportunities for people to know it was there.
“It’s going to take at least two people to lift that equipment and then another person in a van.”
Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed any suspicious behaviour in the area to get in touch by calling 1010 and quoting CAD 86 of July 24.
