Thieves steal 70,000 pints of pub-bound Guinness

Pattaya, Thailand - September 18, 2016: Thailand, Pattaya : Pint of beer served at Guinness Brewery on September 18, 2016 in Pattaya.
Missing stout: Thieves steal 70,000 pints of pub-bound Guinness (Image: Getty/Warajenny.)

Thieves have stolen around 70,000 pints of Guinness that were due to be delivered to pubs.

The Guinness was valued at around £115,000, while the total value of the stolen goods, including the trailers, was estimated at about £205,000.

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At around 7.45pm, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area before connecting to a trailer containing barrels of Guinness and leaving towards the Mersey Gateway.

A second lorry arrived at 9.12pm and left with another trailer at around 9.30pm, heading towards Rainhill and Watkinson Way.

More than 800 barrels of the stout were taken after two HGV trailers were driven away from Whitehouse Industrial Estate on Aston Lane in Runcorn on Monday (31 August), Cheshire Police said.

Police appeal

The stolen barrels were due to be delivered to pubs, according to the force.

Detective Sergeant McClatchey said: “It is famously said that Guinness is good for you, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for.”

Police said both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men.

The first driver was described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat. The second was believed to have been wearing a cap.

The trailers were described as white tri axle curtain side trailers carrying GXO branding on the curtains and rear doors.

Police said the trailers had unique numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner. The numbers of the stolen trailers were DL736 and DL542.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information, or motorists with dashcam footage from the area at the time, to come forward.

Anyone with information should contact Cheshire Police via its website or by calling 101, quoting incident reference IML-2408641.

The incident comes after operators have warned that thefts from pubs, including glassware, add further costs for businesses already operating under tight margins.

Diageo declined to comment.