Car stolen as masked offenders block traffic on Jacob’s Gutter Lane and target homes and vehicles in Eling and Marchwood
A GANG wearing balaclavas blocked a Forest road with cones and leapt from nearby bushes to steal a car after the driver stopped to clear the obstruction.
Up to eight people were spotted crouching in hedges alongside Marchwood’s Jacob’s Gutter Lane in the early hours of both Saturday and Sunday in incidents linked to a host of thefts and break-ins involving masked men in the area that weekend.
Cones and barriers for waterworks on the road had been moved to stop traffic in the early hours of Sunday when the Ford Focus was snatched after the driver got out to move the items. The car was later recovered.
Motorists also reported the barriers being moved the previous morning, with masked figures again spotted at the roadside, but nothing was reported stolen.
One driver who reported the suspicious roadblock said he was among three cars forced to stop as the road was “fully blocked”.
A witness said: “It was only when he and the others moved it all out of the way that he spotted two figures wearing balaclavas crouching in the hedges. He called them idiots so they knew they'd been spotted.”
They later heard from a colleague who also reported seeing the same block minutes earlier, as well as eight people in balaclavas.
The said: “This is just to warn you if travelling that way in the early hours of the morning and you come across this, do not get out of your car, do a U-turn and get out of that area fast.
“Whatever their reason was for doing it, it wasn't a prank, their intentions were definitely not nice and are extremely suspicious.”
Hampshire police are investigating the reports. A spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns these incidents will have caused within the community, and are doing all we can to investigate them and deal with those responsible.
“If you come across barriers and/or cones in the middle of a road, causing an obstruction, please remove the keys from the ignition and lock your vehicle before exiting it to move them.
“Please also then report the incident to us.”
Officers are linking the incidents with reports of five masked men involved in a series of other offences during the early hours of Sunday.
These included three motorcycles stolen shortly before 5am from a driveway on Tides Way, Marchwood.
Although recovered nearby, the ignitions on two of them had been damaged. Tools were also found nearby.
The suspects were said to have tried the door handles of several vehicles and a home in the area, and a credit card was stolen from one car.
Police carried out heightened patrols of Eling and Marchwood, and Hythe and Dibden, in the days after the incidents.
But an online post by local officers about the patrols provoked some criticism from residents, with one commenting they were “always late to the party”.
They continued: “Regular patrols would be useful. Not just turn up after the crimes have been committed and the culprits have moved on to a new patch to loot.”
However, local district councillor Richard Young added: “Thank you for doing what you reasonably can to try and alleviate community concerns following a somewhat troubling weekend in our otherwise usually peaceful village.”
People were urged to approach the patrols with any information about the incidents.
Officers want to hear from any victims yet to come forward, as well as potential witnesses and those who saw any suspicious activity.
A force spokesperson said: “We also want to hear from you if you have any footage of any of the incidents, or the men described above, whether that be CCTV, dash cam, doorbell camera or mobile phone.”
Anyone with information should email hampshire.police.uk or call 101, quoting reference 44240252831 for the Jacob’s Gutter Lane incidents or 44240252940 for the others.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.
