Lorry heist at Felixstowe port

RAIDERS have stolen a lorry containing electrical goods believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from a Felixstowe haulage yard, it was revealed today.

The theft is the latest in a string of incidents in which lorries have gone missing from the port and business parks just outside its boundaries.

Detectives were today gathering information about the theft but immediately appealed for witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity around the haulage depots to come forward.

It is understood the gang turned up at a yard in Road Hauliers Road, just outside the secure 700-acre port complex, with their own cab unit.

They then hitched this up to a trailer carrying a container full of electrical goods and drove off on to the A14 and away.

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning, possibly just after midnight Saturday, and the trailer was found to be missing when staff came in to work on Monday morning.

Detectives are trying to piece together how the theft happened and to put together a detailed catalogue of what was inside the container and its value.

A police spokeswoman said a further statement would be released later today with more details about the theft.

"At this stage, officers are busy gathering information, but we would appeal to anyone who was in the area of Road Hauliers Road or around Dock Gate One late on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday to get in touch with us," she said.

"They may have seen or heard something suspicious and could have information which would prove useful to the investigating team.

"At this stage inquiries are continuing."

Anyone with information should contact Felixstowe CID on 01473 383300.

Gangs of highly professional thieves target the port and its surrounding business parks, getting away each year with goods worth millions of pounds.

Police believe that the thefts are far from random and feel sure many of the thieves are acting on inside information, often carrying out their own surveillance.

Within hours of a heist, the cargo is split into many smaller parts and is en route to other parts of the country as part of a well organised distribution network.

Each investigation takes up many hours of police time as officers have to check every lead, often with trails taking them all over the country, to discover those behind the raids.

In the past six months, three boxes were taken from the Pentalver yard in Blofield Road, when a security guard was also kidnapped.

Two containers – including one with vodka worth £750,000 inside – were also taken from storage areas inside the port after thieves got hold of paperwork.

Haulage companies and drivers have been urged to step up security wherever possible. The Road Haulage Association says more than £500m of trucks and goods are stolen each year, with more than 3,000 loads never recovered.