Kentish Express Ashford & District
Stolen lorry’s night of
Thieves left a staggering 10-mile trail of destruction across Ashford after stealing a seven-tonne lorry from an historic company in the town centre.
Suspects managed to drive the truck from Tannery Lane to Singleton on the other side of town – despite puncturing a tyre on a police stinger in Templer Way close to the Drovers roundabout.
The drama unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the vehicle was taken from the administration-hit Kent Wool Growers near the civic centre.
Parked cars, roadworks and street signs were damaged during the rampage, which saw up to seven police cars chasing the 7.5-tonne Iveco lorry with lights and sirens blaring.
A 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old man were arrested after the incident, which happened just after 12.30am.
Pat Calnon, whose daughter Theresa Maynard runs the Daisy’s burger van parked next to KWG, says staff in the nearby Royal Mail sorting office in Tannery Lane alerted police.
“People at the postal sorting office rang them as they said it was like a bomb going off,” he said.
“The gates are locked at KWG, but they got in and smashed through them with the lorry as the keys had been left in it.
“It was a very loud crash and they demolished the gates.”
The lorry turned right out of KWG before demolishing two sets of barriers in Tannery Lane close to the Stour Centre.
It then went on a 10-mile rampage around town, passing the M20 Junction 9 roundabout and Canterbury Road in Kennington before driving up the High Street the wrong way and passing through streets in South Ashford.
Police later arrested a 16-year-old boy from the Ashford area on suspicion of drink driving and theft of a motor vehicle.
A 20-year-old man – who was also from the town – was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
The pair have both been bailed until Tuesday, October 17.
Mrs Maynard’s burger van, which is based in the entrance to the KWG car park, was broken into on the night of the rampage.
“When I arrived on Tuesday morning, I could have cried,” the 52-year-old Shadoxhurst resident said.
“My van was broken into three times last week and I thought it was just kids, but the break-in on Tuesday was much more serious as they took the lorry as well. Whether it was the same people as before, I do not know, but I do not earn a lot of money and it is very sad.”