STOLEN laptops were dumped near a bridge after an alleged burglary which forced a big-name retail store to close temporarily.
These photos show some of the stolen laptops ‘worth thousands’ seized from an overgrown grass area near a Worcester bridge following a raid on the Argos store in the city’s Blackpole on Sunday.
READ MORE: Worcester boxer due to fight man who beat Tyson
READ MORE: Drug dealer, 22, in court for importing drugs
The raid followed another break-in at Argos in Evesham on Friday, January 6 during which electrical items were stolen. They have yet to be recovered.
DUMPED: Police recovered items from this location near Argos in Blackpole (Image: West Mercia Police)
Two suspects in the Worcester burglary are from Coventry and have yet to be charged but West Mercia Police is exploring links to other, similar offenses nationally in relation to both suspects as they build a case.
DI Dave Knight of South Worcestershire Priority CID, who has previously spoken of the devastating impact of burglary on homeowners and businesses, said arrests were made and goods recovered after ‘the rapid deployment’ of officers to the scene.
He added: “We are working hard to build charges in readiness to get suspects to court.”
DI Knight said goods were recovered from near the store and work is underway as part of an ongoing investigation after what he said had been an ‘unprecedented’ number of commercial burglaries in Worcestershire since Christmas Day.
There have been 14 arrests for burglary since Christmas Day in what has been an unusually busy period for West Mercia’s burglary team.
Want to stay up to date with all the latest news for your local area? It’s easy, just sign up for our email newsletters here and all the important stories that matter to you will be delivered straight to your inbox.
We have previously reported how Argos in Blackpole’s Elgar Retail Park was closed on Sunday (January 8) after being broken into in the early hours of the morning.
West Mercia Police officers arrested a man on suspicion of burglary but later confirmed he was released on bail while the investigation continues.
It is believed the burglary happened sometime between midnight and 1am.
At the store, signs informing customers about what had happened were put up and the shutters were brought partially down.
There were two signs on the door.
The first one read: “This store will be closed for the rest of today (Sunday) and we hope to be back up and trading tomorrow.
“(Due to circumstances beyond our control!)
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
The second sign reads: “Due to an incident, this store is temporarily closed.
“Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”