A local theatre company was left distraught after thieves broke into their trailer and stole thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

Bare Bones Theatre had just packed up after a performance of 'The Prisoner of Second Avenue' in Goodrich, when, in the early hours of Sunday morning, thieves forced open the heavy metal doors and got away with around £3000 worth of vital production equipment, including speakers and amplifiers.

The theft was discovered when a crew member thought they had left their coat and returned to the trailer to find the doors bent open, seemingly with a crowbar, and all the apparatus gone.

Dave Baldwin, chairman of the Much Birch based theatre company, told the Ross Gazette: "I was absolutely livid when I found out. It's exactly 10 years since we started, building a loyal following, working hard and all that struggle.

"Just total indignation really, these no-hopers thought that they had a greater right to have it than we did.

See the full story in this week's Ross Gazette.