Yamaha bikes worth £60k stolen in Northern Ireland
Yamaha dealership Jet Products has been the target of an expensive theft which includes five off-road bikes.
A Yamaha dealership which mainly sells dirt bikes and quads has been the target of a theft in Northern Ireland, with up to £60,000 worth of off-road machines stolen.
The business owner, Heidi McClintock, is based in County Tyrone, the second largest county in Ulster, and was away with her husband when the theft took place.
The five stolen bikes and one quad were stolen in a burglary from Jet Products on Melmount Road in Sion Mills. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) says the theft happened sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
McClintock owns the Yamaha business alongside her husband, and believes the theft was planned. Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, McClintock said: "We had been away but it wasn't until Sunday morning [that] we discovered items were gone.
"These are all brand new and one of the electric bikes belonged to my 11-year-old daughter Grace," she said. “She is gutted. They also took our work horse which is used for moving things up and down the yard and we will be lost without that. This is a devastating blow for a local business like ours. I'm gutted and it's quite emotional."
Fortunately for McClintock and her husband, evidence from the thieves was reportedly left behind after forensic officers visited the showroom on Monday.
Police also believe a large vehicle or a trailer was used to steal the bikes and have asked anyone that may have information to come forward.
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