Hunt after gang raids Hythe Sailing Club and flees with £60,000-worth of machinery

The thieves cut through security fencing, ripped outboard engines from boats and escaped with a haul of power tools when they struck in the middle of the night.

Hythe Sailing Club is today counting the cost of the targeted attack, which saw almost 50 outboard engines and a quantity of tools taken, which are valued at thousands of pounds.

About a quarter of members have fallen victim and now the club has been forced to stop offering the site as a storage facility for the engines, for fear they could be targeted again.

The raid has caused upset and anger among the club’s members and the community, with Hythe parish councillor Brian Dash outraged that thieves would prey on a club that helps youngsters to sail.

The club’s Vice Commodore Michael Thomas told the Daily Echo that the break-in was discovered on Monday morning, with thieves gaining entry by cutting through the security fencing around the Shore Road site.

Once inside, they forced open a 20ft shipping container, which stored the engines, stealing in excess of 40 outboard engines.

Engines of all makes and sizes were taken, including a Yamaha, a Tohatsu, a Mercury Mariner and a Suzuki, with the most expensive worth £14,000.

A haul of power tools were also taken during the weekend raid, which officers believe must have involved several people, who would have needed transport to carry it all away.

Despite the container storing the rescue boats being forced open, those engines were left intact.

Sadly, it is not the first time the club has been targeted – thieves broke in four years ago – but the club has vowed to step up security and now members will not be allowed to store their engines on site, in the hope of preventing further attacks.

Vice Commodore Mr Thomas said: “This appears to be a targeted attack and people are rightly annoyed and upset by it.

“We have got a quarter of our members out of pocket right before the Easter weekend when people were hoping to get out on the water. It is really disappointing.

“People think that because we own boats that we are rich but we are not. We are a community sports club that makes sailing affordable for ordinary members of the public.

“The value our members will be able to claim from the insurance will not cover replacement costs and the money these thieves will get from selling these engines will be nowhere near the value of what our members have lost.

“We will be increasing our security and surveillance equipment and as a result of this attack, we will not be storing the outboard engines on site anymore.

“This is a service we have provided for our members for around ten years, but we cannot afford to let this happen again, so the engines will no longer be kept here.”

Cllr Dash said: “I think this is just outrageous. The club does a lot to teach youngsters to sail and is a major asset to the community, so it is a disgrace that it has to suffer this.”

Anyone with any information about the break-in should contact Hampshire Police’s Marine Unit on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.