ANDOVER Anglers’ Club has been dealt a devastating blow after burglars stole £5,000 worth of equipment.

The club’s lock-up at Foxcotte lakes were broken into sometime between 6pm on Friday, April 24 and 6pm on Tuesday, April 28.

Two Honda water pumps, two outboard motors, petrol cans, a heavy duty battery to run the cutter on the boat and a steel strimmer were among the thieves’ haul.

Tracy Berntsen, Andover An - gling Club secretary, said: “It is a devastating blow.

“The angling club is not a profit making organisation, the money just gets used to keep things going.

“There is no way we can afford to replace all the items that have been stolen.

“A few years ago the lakes had algal bloom and we had to use the water pumps to put oxygen back in the water otherwise all the fish would die.

“These machines cost £1,000 each, and we are going to have to hope we don’t get the same problem in the future.

“We do work parties every Tuesday through the summer, but at the moment we can’t do them unless we can buy some new equipment or we can borrow some.

“We cannot get the boats out because we have lost the motors.

“We have had a hard few years with fewer and fewer members of the club.

“We have 69 members now when a few years ago we had about 250.”

She added: “It looks like they have used a disc cutter to cut off the lock.

“The water pumps were right at the back, so they must have had plenty of time to look around.”

Witnesses or anyone with any information is urged to contact Hampshire Constabulary by calling the non-emergency number 101.

Please quote crime reference number 44150142897.

Alternatively you can phone the free and anonymous Crimestoppers charity hotline on 0800 555 111