Theft of baby changing mats at knifepoint by balaclava-clad gang 'a strange one'

The theft of 1,600 baby changing mats from a lorry in Essex is "a strange one", the chairman of the company that made them said. The mats, worth a total of £15,000, and on their way from East Coast Nursery, North Walsham, Norfolk to Spain.

Essex Police said three men wearing balaclavas cut open the side curtain of the lorry when it was parked in a layby on the A12 near Margaretting. The theft happened at 05:00am last Wednesday. The driver got out of his cab and was threatened with a knife.



Eric White, of the company, said: "It's a strange one and it's certainly taken us by surprise. There were just over 2,000 mats in the lorry, so they took more than half, but they were in boxes so unless you opened them you didn't know what was inside."

He added the Spanish driver, who cannot speak English, "was quite traumatised" after the incident and returned to North Walsham to report the theft. Investigating officer PC Dan Bennington, said: "I really need to speak with anyone who witnessed the robbery or who is offered a quantity of baby changing mats for sale in suspicious circumstances."