Pendle fishing tackle shop closed after 'majority of stock' stolen in raid (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Pendle fishing tackle shop closed after 'majority of stock' stolen in raid

8:00am Tuesday 24th January 2012 in Barnoldswick By Tyrone Marshall, Reporter

A FISHING tackle shop has been forced to close after a burglary wiped out most of its stock.

Thieves stole over 75 per cent of the supplies at Heaps of Tackle, in Rainhall Road, Barnoldswick. But owner Steve Heap said he will “come back stronger” following the break-in.

Mr Heap, who runs the shop on his own, said: “It completely knocked the stuffing out me last week, but I’m trying to get it sorted now, I have met the insurers.

“We still have some stock left so I will try and get it open as quickly as possible. It is our only source of income and we have a young child so I need to get it open.

“It is unbelievable that somebody could do this, we’re just an independent shop, but we will come back stronger and come out fighting.”

The burglary happened early last week and the shop has been closed since Wednesday with a sign on the door saying “sorry closed because we were robbed”.

It is the latest in a number of burglaries to hit the town centre and Coun Jenny Purcell is calling for a greater police presence on the streets.

She said: “It is getting out of hand now, all these break-ins are affecting people’s insurance and it is affecting the whole town.

“There are far too many break-ins and something has to be done, it is beyond a joke. What are the police doing about it, there is no police presence around this town and we need one.

“It is not fair on the residents or the shopkeepers. It is no good police being sat in an office in Burnley or Colne, we need them on the streets.

“We need to be getting rid of the chiefs and having more Indians walking around the streets, instead of the other way round.”

A police spokesman confirmed a “large quantity of fishing tackle” was stolen.

Anybody with information is asked to call police on 101.