Thieves hit new Wairarapa victims

VANISHED: The blue fuel trailer with tank (centre), holding 200 litres of diesel, was stolen from Matahiwi Winery.PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

A spate of brazen burglaries plaguing Masterton continued with two overnight break-ins on Wednesday netting thieves a quad bike, tools and other property.

A storage shed on the corner of Ngaumutawa Rd and Hillcrest St was burgled and an assortment of property taken.

Not far away, at Wairarapa College, thieves targeted the groundsman's sheds, jemmying off a centre roller door to steal tools.

As well, to get into the shed containing the quad bike they removed sheets of iron from the back wall.

Senior Constable Bob Hooker, of Masterton police, said they then opened that shed's roller door from the inside and took the quad away on either a trailer or a utility vehicle.

A padlock securing the college gate on to Cornwall St had been cut off to allow a vehicle to be driven on to the school, he said.

This week thieves also smashed their way into the golf shop at Masterton Golf Club to help themselves to specialist playing gear worth $20,000, plus the contents of a safe.

Goldpine was also hit, with a safe containing cash, industrial staplers and a nail gun taken.

In one of the most brazen of recent burglaries, thieves raided Matahiwi Winery in Paierau Rd about 6.30am last Friday, driving away with a blue fuel tanker containing about 200 litres of diesel.

Mr Hooker said day was breaking around the time of the burglary and people making their way to work on Paierau Rd may have noticed the tanker being towed.

He said the tanker had noisy wheel bearings, which could have been heard by some of the home owners along the road as the thieves towed it past their properties.

To reach the tanker, the intruders broke into a secured yard by cutting chains.

They also jemmied open the door to the workshop, but this had activated alarms. Staff were quickly on the scene but by then the thieves had managed to make their getaway after taking tools from the room. Mr Hooker said the winery had been hit by thieves last year when a truck, quad bike and washing machine were stolen.

Police weren't certain whether the burglaries were the work of one gang or committed by several burglars.

The public's help would be vital in helping police gather enough evidence to determine who was responsible and to arrest them, Mr Hooker said.