Nine Church Bells Stolen In Dorset

Thieves have stolen nine church bells from a workshop in Dorset using a forklift truck.

The bells were stolen from a workshop on St Swithins Road, Bridport, overnight between Monday and Tuesday.

The heaviest of the bells weighs 456kg and the lightest is just 35kg. The thieves gained access to the building through a window and then used a forklift truck to move the bells to a vehicle.

Bridport Police's Pc Chris Burt said: "These bells are valued between £250 and £3,000 each and will clearly be very costly to replace - that's not to mention their historic value.

"The bells are incredibly heavy and it would have taken quite some time to remove each one from the premises.

"I suspect that the offenders may have created a fair amount of noise while moving them with the forklift truck.

"I am appealing for anyone who witnessed this incident, and anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the St Swithins Road area, to contact me as soon as possible.

"Anyone with any information about those responsible should call police urgently.''