JUST weeks after celebrating winning an award at Sandringham Flower Show, a Crowland company has had a number of sprinkler systems stolen.
Thieves crossed the dyke in front of Bettaland Products Ltd, in Spalding Road, some time between Saturday, September 1, and Tuesday, September 4, and removed 16 sprinklers from the plant beds.
The nursery grows more than 150,000 hardy plants annually, as well as herbaceous perennials, shrubs, containerised trees, grasses and ferns, and theft of the irrigation equipment has been a blow to the firm.
Shaun Dring, nursery manager, said: “In the current climate things are difficult, but we had found ourselves in a positive position to expand.
“Our Jubilee garden that was presented to Prince Charles at the East of England Show also won a Silver Gilt Award when it was moved to Sandringham Flower Show and we have been celebrating this.
“The theft is a backwards step – it’s very unfortunate.”
It is estimated the sprinklers had a total value of £2,000 and police have been informed of the theft.
Mr Dring said he hoped the public could help catch the thieves. He said: “We have a double-sided message for them really. We’d like to warn similar companies they may be targeted for their sprinkler systems – whether it is for scrap or to sell them on.
“And we’d also like to ask the public to let us or the police know if anyone tries to sell them a cheap system, because it could be ours.”
Call Bettaland on 01733 211666 or the police on 101.