UK & World News
- 28 October 2012, 7:39
Anti-Tank Mines Stolen From Freight Train
Anti-terror police are searching for a Ministry of Defence shipment of munitions stolen from a goods train in Warrington.
Sky sources understand they are powerful anti-tank mines.
Ten packages, each containing four separate plastic cases, were taken from the train as it travelled between Cumbria and Oxfordshire.
They were reported missing to British Transport Police at around 7.30am on Thursday when the train arrived at Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Seven of the packages were later discovered near a railway line in the Folley Lane area of Warrington, Cheshire.
The remaining three, which were made up of a total of 12 plastic cases, are still missing.
The munitions were on the train when it left Longtown in Cumbria at 11.30am on Wednesday.
Police understand the munitions were taken off the train while it was temporarily stationary in Warrington, and seven of the packages were discarded nearby.
They are described as being rectangular plastic tubes, approximately 4ft (1.2 metres) in length.
The North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU) is leading a joint investigation, which includes the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and MoD.
Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, from NWCTU, said: "A number of enquiries are now being made by police officers into this theft, and our main priority is to safely recover the missing items.
"At this stage there is nothing to suggest the theft is terrorist-related, but due to the potential complexity of the investigation, our enquiries are being led by counter-terrorism officers.
"We would like to appeal to any members of the public who may know the whereabouts of these items, or any persons involved in the theft of these items to contact the police immediately.
"I want to make it clear that, in their normal condition, these munitions are stable and do not pose a risk to the public.
"However, the materials could be hazardous if they were to be tampered with and we therefore ask that anyone who sees them or knows where they are to call the police as soon as possible."
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 1027 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Update:
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what do you think?
El Bubsio
It could be me, but didn't Britain sign a treaty saying we wouldn't use or produce mines any more? If so, what we're these doing on a train?
Jeem Bob
Anti-personnel mines not anti-tank mines.
Michael Hawkins
Jeem Have you seen the size of some of those northern women
El Bubsio
Hmmm, so we don't make mines to blow up individuals any more, but we're fine making ones to accidentaly blow up bus loads of people. Greeeaaattt 0_o
Chris Price
Anti tank mines are designed to disable armoured vehicles by blowing the cat tracks apart the hulls of tanks are usually thick enough to withstand the blast
El Bubsio
Chris, I'll bet the bottom of a bus or lorry isn't if they run over them
Steve
They were anti personel mines and not anti vehicle mines.
Peter Coates
I expect the police have been very busy filling in their expense sheets.
stephen
this will be kids
stephen
Ive just been past there s not a copper in site
Jonathan Goodwin-Self
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
shaun spencer
This really careless of the mod
EQINOX187 .
Its clearly an inside job how else would these people know the mines were there and exactly what boxes to take and in the end only took those boxes containing the mines and where the train would stop and in what container car they were in. It stinks of an inside job perhaps terrorists or perhaps someone looking to sell them to the highest bidder i doubt that we will find out but its perhaps time that munition transports have armed guards.
stephen
you tell a good story now come back from planet zap
daysleeperman
Mmm Equinox, you deluded fantasist. Because people looking to sell to the highest bidder are forever dumping 70% of their stole-to-order cash cow within minutes of stealing it aren't they? Clown.
EQINOX187 .
Its not my fault you cant see the rather obvious situation 1: 1 unmarked train with many freight cars with a secret shipment of mines. 2: The train just to happens to stop at Warrington. 3: There just so happens to be a group of people waiting for the train to stop at Warrington.. 4: Nothing else was stolen from the train as it would have also been reported. 5: They new what freight car the mines were in as its the only one to have its seal broken. 6: Again they only took the mines and nothing else. So is it just that hard for you to work out ? As for the others that were left it could be that they underestimaited the size and weight of the mines as at a length of 1.2m and a weight of 11kg each and with a total of 12 taken and converting to stones thats around 20 stone sure not that heavy but space consuming. So its posable they might have planned to come back but were not able to as the theaft was discovered.
Steve
What a load of tosh.I work on the railway and there has always been oportunist thieves when it comes to freight trains.This is one of those occasions.Some tea leaf has helped himself to what he thought would be a good little earner only to dump them because he has hasnt the foggyest as to what he has stolen.SIMPLE AS....
EQINOX187 .
Ahh Steve so your working on the trains now wasnt it last week you were working for airline company and a few weeks before that shipping you must be a man of many jobs! Or many lies. You may also wish to acualy read the article and all the information out there and the fact that many were infact taken and that the train was stoped by an unscheduled red light as in there was no reason for there to be a red light. No one is denieing that there are oportunist thieves but there is a huge difference between people jumping on a stoped train at a scheduled stop light and stealing random stuff and then there is what we have here a train is stoped at an unscheduled red light and these oportunist thieves as you call them go directly for the container car with the mines in it and to only remove the mines from the train and then take away12 weighing in at around 20 stone. Yeh that does not sound planned at all!!
El Bubsio
So these well informed, well prepared people (perhaps it's your 20ft tall laser eyed terrorists again) who can get information about the movements of secret munitions and activate train signals at will didn't know how big or heavy what they were stealing was? I spy a plot hole. Not so much mission: impossible, more mission: improbable.
Chris Price
It doesnt mention if the containers were empty they could of just simply been poorly secured and fell off the train as it was going along
Mark Hussey
Are. the triggering mechanisms with the mines .
Dave Brooks
So if they're discovered in Syria being used by the rebels our govt can throw their hands up and say "not our fault guv, we havent a clue how they got there"
Name witheld
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Gordon Berry
No, just another reason to ship explosives safely
David Wragg
One would have thought that in this day and age munitions would be taken by road with an armed guard. For some terrorist group somewhere, their birthdays have all arrived at once. A mine able to stop a tank would inflict very heavy damage wherever it was used.
brian foster
4:00pm on 27/10/2012
Security,you could not make it up