Detectives investigating a burglary at a Tesco petrol station in Worcester have released images of three people they want to trace after the store was forced open in the early hours of Monday 19 October.
How the break-in happened
Police say the offenders struck at around 2:10am at the forecourt store on Mill Wood Drive. Officers believe the group forced entry through the front of the premises, using an angle grinder to cut through a metal security shutter and then gaining access by smashing a lower panel of the door, reportedly with a fire extinguisher.
Once inside, the suspects are accused of using the angle grinder to cut open cash boxes which were subsequently taken from the site. A still released by detectives appears to show one suspect carrying the grinder as they left the scene.
- Incident time: around 2:10am, Monday 19 October
- Location: Tesco petrol station, Mill Wood Drive, Worcester
- Methods reported: angle grinder used to breach shutter; door panel smashed; cash boxes cut open and removed
- Suspected getaway: on foot initially, then believed to have travelled on electric bikes or electric motorbikes
Police movements and possible route
Investigators believe the suspects left the immediate vicinity on foot, crossing a small fence onto Vetch Field Avenue, before eventually making their way back to Mill Wood Drive. Shortly after the burglary, witnesses reported seeing electric bikes or electric motorbikes travelling along Mill Wood Drive, which police think may have been used as a means of escape.
| Stage | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Entry | Angle grinder through metal shutter; lower door panel smashed |
| Inside | Cash boxes cut open and removed |
| Exit | On foot to Vetch Field Avenue; then believed to use electric bikes/motorbikes |
Appeal to the public
Detective Sergeant Andrew Todd, leading the inquiry, has urged anyone with information to come forward — particularly those with dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage from the Mill Wood Drive and Vetch Field Avenue areas. Police acknowledge that the faces of the people captured in the images are not clearly visible, but say other distinctive details could prove valuable to the investigation.
"We're releasing these images in the hope that they jog someone's memory about what they saw in the area during the early hours of Monday morning," said Detective Sergeant Andrew Todd. "We appreciate the suspects' faces are not visible and that they are unlikely to be identifiable from the images alone. However, the photographs show a number of distinctive features, including an angle grinder being carried from the scene, as well as the clothing worn by the suspects. We're keen to hear from anyone who may have seen these people before or after the burglary."
He added that any piece of information, however small it might appear, could be crucial to progressing enquiries and urged residents to check privately owned camera systems for relevant footage.
Officers are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who noticed people acting suspiciously in the area around the time of the incident or who captured images of the suspected electric bikes or motorbikes travelling along Mill Wood Drive shortly after 2:10am.
Anyone with information is asked to contact West Mercia Police quoting incident number [police reference not provided in the release], or to submit footage and intelligence through the force's online reporting channels. Members of the public who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers.
The publication of the images forms part of an active local police investigation. No arrests have been reported publicly at this stage.
