Theft puts sailing club at risk

Two people were picked up by a CCTV camera after breaking into the yard of the Adur Centre Sailing Club, in Brighton Road, Shoreham, shortly before 10pm on Thursday, October 5.

They used a battery-powered jigsaw to cut through a safety boat's polythene hull and remove its motor, and also cut though metal casing designed to protect the engine from thieves.

Club chairman and instructor Chris Lane told the Herald: "The safety boat is a complete write-off. They cut through the hull and all the controls. This theft has put the club on the line.

"Our total loss of the boat and the outboard motor is near to 7,000. We can't raise that kind of money; it is beyond our means."

Mr Lane added the people responsible had appeared to know what they were doing. They had managed to avoid lights and being caught clearly on camera.

He said: "The security light came on, but they worked out how to avoid it. I would think they were reasonably professional people, in the worst sense of the word."