Burglars strike burnt-out premises

A BURNT and burgled Masterton business recovered some treasure from the ashes yesterday when police found the stolen items at a Masterton scrap metal dealer complete with details of who sold it to them.
The Boat Shed, on Villa Street, in Masterton, had its workshop and several boats destroyed on Saturday in an electrical fire, and thieves added insult to injury on Wednesday night by robbing the damaged property of tools and metal items.
But yesterday owner Grant Stevens said the metal, including vehicle "bull bars" had been recovered by police at a scrap metal dealer, who had followed regulations and taken down details of the seller.
New rules mean sellers of scrap metal must show photo identification, to assist in tracking any items that might be stolen.
"It's not very bright, is it, to steal something and then try and sell it at a scrap yard the next day?" Mr Stevens said.
Thieves had cut their way through a high netting fence topped with barbed wire, and climbed over a temporary 2.7m-high plywood wall to gain access to the business.
Mr Stevens and his staff have spent the week recording stock and taking note of what was damaged or destroyed by fire.
The business' main workshop was gutted and is set to be demolished, and staff will set up shop next door in a large workspace that is usually "kept fairly clear for the great big boats".
That building, too, was damaged by the fire, which melted some plastic roofing and burnt out a roller door motor.
"There's nothing that it hasn't touched, with the heat, the smoke and the water from the fire engines," Mr Stevens said. "You get all those elements with fire & and then to have burglars, that's just what I need."
Mr Stevens said he wants people to know that "we're still going, and we'll be up and running as soon as possible, looking for customers".