Over 800 Guinness barrels worth £205,000 stolen from Runcorn depot

Thieves made off with around 70,000 pints of Guinness in two separate raids on an industrial estate in Runcorn, Cheshire Police said.

£205,000 Guinness heist: two HGV trailers seized from Cheshire depot

Cheshire Constabulary has launched an appeal after approximately 800 barrels of Guinness — equivalent to 70,400 pints — were stolen from an industrial estate in Runcorn on Monday evening, The Independent reports.

The barrels, with an estimated value of £115,000, were taken in two separate incidents from the Whitehouse Industrial Estate on Aston Lane, where Diageo, the company that owns the Guinness brand, operates a packaging warehouse. When the value of the two stolen HGV trailers is included, the total loss is put at roughly £205,000.

The first lorry connected to a trailer containing the stout and departed at around 7.55pm, heading in the direction of the Mersey Gateway bridge. A second vehicle arrived at 9.12pm, collected another Guinness-laden trailer, and left at approximately 9.30pm towards Rainhill and Watkinson Way. Police believe both HGVs were driven by men. The first driver is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat; the second is believed to have been wearing a cap.

Both trailers are described as white tri-axle curtain-side units bearing the branding of logistics firm GXO on their curtains and rear doors. The unique ID numbers DL736 and DL542 are displayed on the top left corner of each trailer's rear doors.

The stolen barrels had been destined for delivery to pubs.

Detective Sergeant McClatchy said the force would "settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen", adding a pointed reference to the brand's long-running slogan: "It is famously said that 'Guinness is good for you', but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for."

Officers are urging anyone who witnessed a lorry entering the Aston Lane area at roughly 7.45pm to come forward. Motorists who were driving in the area at the time of either incident are also being asked to check their dashcam footage for anything that could assist the investigation.

Anyone with information can contact Cheshire Constabulary via their website, or by calling 101 and quoting incident reference number IML-2408641.

Source: The Independent