Shaw Trust Palmer Gardens victim of two break-ins, losing £3,000 of equipment in latest incident.

In just over a week there have been two break-ins at the charity garden centre in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

The latest incident, which took place on Friday, February 26, saw around £3,000 worth of commercial equipment taken from the site, including walkie talkies and hand-held EPOS units - the latter of which is said to have a very limited value on the street.

Just days before intruders broke into a backroom at the centre, stealing a fan heater and wireless receiver for the birdcam.

Palmer Gardens is a social enterprise set up and managed by Shaw Trust - a charity which supports disabled and disadvantaged people back into employment.

Horticultural manager Robert Bayley, commented on the impact of the thefts: "Whilst the goods taken are not hugely valuable or useful for the burglar, it does have an impact on the monies raised to help those in the community who need Shaw Trust help. For example, the birdcam brings much pleasure to staff, volunteers and visitors to the centre. You can't put a price on the satisfaction it brings but nevertheless the cost of replacing it could be spent elsewhere within the project."

Police are currently questioning an individual in connection with the break-ins and, in the meantime, Shaw Trust is reviewing its external security.

Disruption to the business has been extremely minimal; display glass was replaced and manual systems were implemented immediately. As a result, customers have been largely unaware of the incident.

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