Brewery offers beer reward after raid

A UK brewery which had its premises raided and safe stolen has offered up the reward of ‘beer for a year’ to anyone with information leading to the conviction of the culprits.

Thieves smashed their way into Hanlon’s Brewery near Exeter in the early hours of 14 May using a pallet truck to make off with its one-ton safe, as reported by the Western Morning News.

The safe was later found smashed open on nearby farmland having been emptied of the brewery’s petty cash and paperwork.

The brewery, best known for its Yellow Hammer Ale, has since offered up the reward of beer for a year in a bid to catch the criminal gang, which is believed to have also robbed a nearby farm shop.

Jim Bungard, director of Hanlons, told the paper the burglary had caused “major aggravation” to the business which had been enjoying its most successful period to date after taking over the business in January.

He said: “We have just had two record weeks and the business has been going very well.”

“But we are a new start up and this is a real kick in the teeth and just what we didn’t need.”

“We will supply someone with beer for the rest of this year for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.”

Anyone with information should call Devon and Cornwall Police on 101 quoting crime reference KC/14/336.