Thieves steal £65,000 of wine in raid on luxury hotel's cellar

HIGH value bottles of wine worth around £65,000 were stolen by thieves when they made a daring raid at the luxury Lime Wood hotel.

The perpetrators got into the cellar of the five-star Lime Wood near Lyndhurst shortly after 3.30am on Monday.

They selected approximately 80 bottles before making off, a spokeswoman for the hotel confirmed.

She added: “The appropriate authorities have been alerted and a police investigation is underway. Approximately 80 bottles have been taken with a value of around £65,000.”

The retreat is part of the Lime Wood Group and Home Grown Hotels, which includes The Pig at Brockenhurst.

The group is headed by CEO and leading hotelier Robin Hutson, and is part-owned by multi-billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-founder and chairman of global chemicals company Ineos.

On Facebook New Forest police appealed to anyone offered “high quality wine at a bargain price” to notify them.

“If you have any information about this theft please call 101 and quote the crime number 44190405894,” the post added.