Steel worth €200k stolen in brazen heist

THIEVES, with “nerves of steel”, stole around 20 truckloads of steel girders worth €200,000 from a construction firm’s yard on the outskirts of Cork city.

The highly organised theft, which may have taken place over several weeks, happened at the yard near the former Ibis Hotel at North Esk, Glanmire, Co Cork.

A Garda spokesman said yesterday the girders, known as sheet piles or RSJs, were in 6-metre and 13-metre lengths.

The yard entrance was protected by a gate and huge stone bollards, which had to be lifted by the thieves to gain entry.

“We believe the sheet piles were taken some time within the last six to eight weeks. They are worth a considerable amount of money. This was well organised.

“The thieves had to have lorries with lifting equipment to take the steel away,” the Garda spokesman said.

It is likely that they made several journeys to and from the site.

It is also likely that the thefts occurred at night, because the roads at North Esk are particularly busy at peak times with traffic accessing the nearby main Cork-Midleton road (N25).

Detectives are visiting scrapyards in the region to see if the steel has been sold on.

“It could have been cut up into different sections and sold onto scrapyards. We are also looking at the possibility that the sheet piles may have been stolen for export,” the spokesman said.

Gardaí have carried out a forensic examination of the site in the hope of getting clues to the types of lorries used to take away the steel and are also appealing for the public’s help.

“We want to speak to anybody who may have noticed anything suspicious around the former Ibis Hotel in recent weeks. We are particularly anxious to hear from anybody who may have seen lorries with lifting equipment parked in the area,” the spokesman said.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Glanmire Garda Station at 021-4821002, or Cobh station at 021-4908530.

Meanwhile, Gardaí have confirmed they are likely to question a number of people after officers were “paintballed” when they went to deal with a noisy house party in Mallow.

Gardaí were called to a housing estate in the town early last Sunday morning following complaints.

When they arrived they were confronted by a number of people, some of whom pelted them with bottles.

“A paintball gun was also used on the gardaí. The Garda van was sprayed with paint, but we managed to remove it afterwards,” a spokesman said. “It is the first time we can remember that a paintball gun has been used against us,” he added.

No arrests were made, but it is expected that several people will be interviewed and a file will be prepared for the DPP.