£10,000 raiders target Hagley garden centre

Burglars made off with a forklift truck and other items worth well over £10,000 from a garden centre near Stourbridge.

Bosses at Webbs Garden Centre in Hagley say the loss of the forklift truck is "snookering" operations as staff are now having to manually carry compost and other heavy items around the Kidderminster Road South site.

The raiders, two in balaclavas, made off after being spotted by a West Mercia Police Community Support Officer, on Monday evening.

Nick Baker, from Webbs' head office in Wychbold, Worcestershire, said: "It's good that the police disturbed them before they could steal more.

"But the loss of the forklift means that we are snookered. We're having to receive deliveries and transport compost and other items around by hand, which is disrupting the business until our insurance replaces the forklift."

Mr Baker added that the firm is now stepping up security at the site.