8:59am Thursday 20th March 2008
By Samrana Hussain
THE moment Burnley FC's blimp was set free has been revealed in a video uploaded onto a website.
And police believe the footage on YouTube will lead them to the person responsible for un-tethering the airship-style balloon.
The blimp went missing in December 90 minutes before its maiden outing ahead of the Championship clash with Queen's Park Rangers.
It had been bought for a four figure sum a few weeks earlier to promote match days.
The 59 second clip was placed on the video-sharing website on Tuesday. It shows a man stood on a wall with Turf Moor clearly identifiable in the background.
He can be seen pulling down on the rope, bringing the blimp down from 200ft to just above his head.
When it is in reaching distance, the man appears to cut the rope, sending the helium-filled balloon shooting upwards towards the blue sky at speed. Giggling and chatter can be heard in the background. No sightings have been revealed of the blimp since. Police said it could have travelled as far as Scotland.
The video was put up by someone with the username speedy7264 and titled Burnley Blimp Goes Missing!
And police said they now had the possible name of a suspect.
A spokesperson said: "The police are investigating the video and we have a name which we are looking into.
"We are also looking at the footage and this could be the missing link.
"Anyone with information should contact us."
Footage from CCTV cameras, which sweep the car park where the balloon was tethered, did not capture the incident.
A spokesperson for the club said: "We aware of the video and the police are looking into it."
A few weeks after the blimp went missing a spoof eBay advert appeared on the auction website.
The reward of four VIP match day corporate tickets for a forthcoming game, still stands for the safe return of the balloon.
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