Further appeal for information following the theft of Guinness stock in Runcorn

On Monday 31 August, officers in Runcorn responded to reports of the theft of two HGV trailers containing approximately 880 barrels of Guinness.

The two trailers were subsequently recovered in the Lathom area of Skelmersdale by colleagues from Lancashire Constabulary.

Further enquiries revealed that one trailer had been left in the Hall Lane area at around 3.05am on Tuesday 1 September, with the second having been left in the Gillibrands Road area at around 12.07pm on Wednesday 2 September.

As the second trailer was deposited at the site, the HGV that had been carrying it is believed to have pulled out in front of a silver/white Renault Captur that was being driven by a learner driver.

The barrels of Guinness, which are believed to be worth approximately £115,000, have yet to be located and no arrests have been made at this time.

Both HGVs used to transport the Guinness were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and was wearing a beanie hat and the second believed to be wearing a cap.

Following the recovery of the two trailers, officers are now appealing to residents of the Skelmersdale area for any information which may aid their enquiries to get in touch.

Investigating officers are also keen to hear from anyone who may have been approached to purchase barrels of Guinness in bulk over the past few days.

Detective Sergeant McClatchey said:

“Whilst I am glad that we have located the HGV trailers taken from the depot some 30 miles away in Runcorn, our enquires into identifying who was behind this large-scale theft, along with the recovery of the stolen stout, remains ongoing.

“With that, we are now asking any residents of the wider Skelmersdale area, who may have seen anything suspicious or sighted the lorry trailers that housed the Guinness barrels, to please get in touch with police. In particular, we would like to speak to the learner driver or instructor that was in the Renault Captur when the the second HGV is believed to have deposited the trailer.

“We would also like to hear from any local businesses or anyone who has been approached out of the blue regarding the purchase of barrels of Guinness over the past few days.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that these kegs are stolen goods that are being sold on by black market criminals, so I would urge anyone who has any suspicions as to where a prospective seller may have got their goods from to contact police.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police via the website, or by calling 101, and using incident reference number IML-2408641.