Stoves in new houses stolen

Press, 11 February 1983, Page 25

Stoves in new houses stolen

Stoves were stolen from three recently built houses in Cheyenne Street, Upper Ricearton, this week. The contractor, Mr Ronald Mauger, said that the properties had been sold and that the owners were due to move in within the next seven weeks. He was concerned that other builders be warned of the risk. The theft had been professionally done, he said. A window had been broken in one of the houses and the pelmet knocked off an internal French door in another, but the thieves had caused little damage. Mr Mauger said that the stoves, which had a combined value of $3OOO, were covered by insurance. “The Press" surveyed other speculation builders in Christchurch and found that theft was a common problem. Mr Alec Fairweather, of Merritt Homes, Ltd, said the company had had a front door and frame stolen from a house in Sumner this week. “It happens all the time. It does not matter which area you build in, it is just a fact of life,” he said. Mr Peter Flewellen, of Enterprise Homes, Ltd. said that although he had had no report of thefts in the last few days, the company lost “quiet a bit of stuff" each year. Generally, building materials were stolen and occasionally a stove, but in. the last 12 months there had been a “run” on windows with aluminium frames, he said. The police said that they had had no report of any other theft recently apart from Mr Mauger’s stoves.