£4,000 kegs theft highlights problem
Thieves stole £4,000 worth of kegs from a Warwickshire pub just as work was set to start on a secure storage area.
The incident highlights how pubs must keep kegs secure to counter the epidemic of thefts.
Sixty-nine kegs were stolen from the Merchants Inn, Rug-by, last week. Scott Whyment, manager of the privately-owned pub, said it is thought that thieves took the containers from an outside storage area in the early hours.
With the price of scrap metal being what it is we thought we would be a targetScott Whyment
"It was the week after our beer festival and we may have had 60 beers out there,"
said Whyment.
"The ironic thing is we were having a lock-up barrel store built for them because we've heard this is going on. My advice to other people is to do something similar. With the price of scrap metal being what it is we thought we would be a target."
Currently, brewers rather than licensees generally foot the bill if kegs are stolen.
However, under new plans set to be launched later this year, pubs would pay
deposits of up to £50 per keg. This would put a greater onus on the licensee to ensure kegs are secure.
Martin Ayres, a founder of Bedfordshire-based B&T Brewery, which supplies the Merchants Inn, said: "Every pub, every wholesaler and every brewery is having kegs stolen. The answer is to keep them locked up."
He added: "Scrap metal prices have rocketed recently and it's a lucrative trade. I think the biggest problem is the scrap metal merchants. Unfortunately they are turning a blind eye to it because it's easy money."
For more information on keeping kegs secure, or to report suspected thefts, call KegWatch on 0808 100 1945.
