Cargo thieves make off with wine in UK

Cargo thieves in the UK have stolen £100,000 ($152,000) worth of fine wines from a warehouse in Basingstoke.

The raid at Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) wine merchant took place on May 3, with the robbers making off with crates of wines - including one valued at £5,000 - despite eight-foot-tall fences and full closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance.

In an operation reminiscent of the £70m heist in London's Hatton Garden jewelry quarter last month, the thieves bored a hole through the wall of the warehouse before loading several crates onto a waiting van.

Commenting on the incident, BSI said that there has been a decrease in the frequency and severity of cargo thefts in the UK, although occasional high-value thefts are still recorded.

"A significant number of cargo thefts occur in Southampton and Portsmouth to the south of Basingstoke, indicating that the area may pose a higher risk for theft," it said, noting a similar warehouse break-in was recorded in Basingstoke a couple of years ago.

BBR said: "We are working with police following  an incident at one of our warehouses in Basingstoke and are thankful that none of our staff was injured. The security of our staff and facilities continues to be our highest priority, together with taking the best care of our customers."