Mansfield Rugby Club appeals to find cable thieves

The theft has left members and supporters feeling angry and frustrated, as the not for profit community amateur sports club provides a facility enjoyed by many people in the community.

The club has released CCTV images of the incident, which happened at around 4.45am on November 23, in a bid to catch the thieves.

Two people gained access to the club’s grounds on Eakring Road and climbed onto the roof, where they ripped 10m of heavy duty 50mm armoured cable from the wall.

They proceeded to cut the cable with bolt cutters, causing an explosion which left a large part of the building without power.

They exited the grounds just after 5am.

Andy Foster, chairman of the club said: “The whole incident is very annoying, especially as we have a full schedule of activities at the club every weekend and this happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“As an amateur club we rely heavily on our sponsors, donators and friends to keep us going throughout the year.

“When something like this happens it is extremely frustrating when we are forced to spend the funds we have raised on repairs to willful damage rather than for its intended purpose, which is to play and train for rugby.

“For a few feet of cable, the damage and inconvenience is staggering, not to mention the level of risk to themselves.

“We were without power, light and heating in half the building over the weekend but with a little ingenuity we muddled through. If anyone does know who is responsible for this then we'd be grateful if they would contact local police."

If you recognise the people in the image, please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101.