£90,000 worth of vapes stolen from Darwen business

Around £90,000 worth of e-cigarettes were stolen in a high-value burglary at a premises in Darwen.

According to police, a group of around 18 people forced their way into an industrial compound on Global Way on 20 May in three vehicles – two vans and a car – and used the vans to take stock away.

They made off with the products in the direction of Lower Eccleshill Road.

Officers have issued an appeal for information about the incident and would like to trace the vehicles in the CCTV images. They are: a white Transit van, registration number ST57 RKF, a white Iveco van, registration number BU07 LAA and a grey Volkswagen Golf, registration number HX67 HCH.

Police also urged those people in the area between 6pm and 6.20pm on 20 May to check their dashcam, CCTV or doorbell footage to see if they have captured anything.

“We are appealing for information about this incident, which has left a local business thousands of pounds out of pocket,” PC Kathryn Egan, of Lancashire Police’s East Division, said.

“A large group approached the premises, broke in and backed two vans up, which they filled up with items and then made off. This is unacceptable anyway, but at a time when the cost of living is high and people are doing their best to pay their bills, it is incredibly unfair to target somebody’s livelihood in this way.

“We are taking this incident very seriously and are now asking anybody who was in the area and has CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage to check it to see if they captured any of these vehicles, or anything else suspicious.”

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting log 1226 of May 20th.