Hundreds of beer kegs stolen from Ilford’s The Great Spoon pub
A staggering 200 empty aluminium beer kegs have been stolen from a pub in Ilford, even though it is illegal to sell them in the UK as scrap.
Bonnie Smith, manager of The Great Spoon, Cranbrook Road, Ilford, said that she believes they were stolen to be sold off for scrap metal.
The latest burglary saw two men get away with between 25-30 of the kegs, worth about £600.
Miss Smith said: “It’s happened quite a few times, so I’m not surprised.
“It’s illegal to sell them to scrap yards as they are all pressurised.
You may also want to watch:
“The brewery own them but we will lose the money in the end, as they will start to take it off us.”
The most recent theft was by two men who pulled up to the pub in a white Ford transit van at about 4.45am on February 4.
Most Read
- 1 Safeguarding concerns at 'outstanding' Chadwell Heath academy
- 2 Growing public support for tougher pet theft sentences
- 3 Council must pay £4,500 for failing disabled brothers
- 4 Police and council join forces to help raise Covid awareness
- 5 Derelict pavilion in Goodmayes Park destroyed by fire
- 6 Consultation on proposed controlled parking zones to begin
- 7 Double murder accused remanded in custody over ‘brutal’ stabbings
- 8 Have you seen this 52-year-old man missing from Ilford?
- 9 Almost 250 homes without internet in Goodmayes after car accident takes out telecoms box
- 10 Covid outbreak at Woodford Green care home delays vaccinations
They can be seen entering the pub’s car park on the CCTV footage before they go into a storage shed and take the empty kegs – capable of holding 11, 18 and 22 gallons. They then drive off.
Miss Smith said: “It’s the scrap metal price – I think they might find some scrap yard that might taken them as not all are legitimate.
“It’s happened at a few of the pubs, and happened lots of times at my last pub. They’re worth about £50 a keg.”
She said there was one incident in which so many kegs were stolen that the brewery hired a private investigator.
A spokesman for Redbridge Police said: “The theft is being treated as an isolated incident and the police in Redbridge are not aware of it being linked to organised crime. There is no proof in Redbridge of that.”
Anyone who witnessed this incident or believe they may know something about the men should call Ilford burglary squad on 020 8345 2680.
If you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
