Thieves use car to rip out parking meter with no money inside at beauty spot

Four men and a woman were captured on CCTV stealing the machine at Baggeridge Country Park in Sedgley.

Council bosses have called for those responsible for Tuesday night’s theft to be found and dealt with as soon as possible.

Staffordshire county councillor Victoria Wilson said: “It is absolutely disgraceful. That money is used for services within the estate.

"For someone to make away with it is a really sad thing to do. They should be caught and reprimanded accordingly.”

Councillor Mary Bond, cabinet member for community services, said: “This theft is very frustrating.

“All our car parking machines are emptied every day so they contain very little money.

“However, replacing the machine will involve further loss of income to the council and we now have only one working car parking machine at the car park.

“Baggeridge Country Park is very popular with our residents and around 150,000 people use the park every year.

“All of the money generated by parking revenue is reinvested by the council and helps run the park.

“And I’d like to urge anyone who has information about who is responsible to contact the police.”

Police are appealing for information following the incident in Gospel End, which they were called to at around 9am on Wednesday.

The culprits were caught on CCTV along with a silver Vauxhall Corsa. A council spokesperson confirmed that the meter was ripped out by a car.

No money was inside the machine when it was stolen but its value is said to be worth between £5,000 and £6,000 – with motorists charged a daily fee of £3 to park at the popular beauty spot.

A West Midlands Police spokesman revealed: “We were called at around 9am to a report that the car park machine had been stolen from Baggeridge Country Park, Gospel End.

“It is believed that the theft happened some time after 8pm on Tuesday night.

“There was no money in the machine at the time of the theft, but the machine itself is thought to be worth between £5,000 and £6,000.

“Four men and a woman were captured on CCTV along with a silver Vauxhall Corsa. “

Anyone with any information is being urged to call 101, quoting incident 139 of 11 April.”

West Midlands Police has asked anyone with information to call 101 quoting incident 139 of 11 April.