Thieves cut power during robbery of Carlow storage business
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TWO self-storage facilities in Carlow town have been burgled within two weeks of each other.
Carlow Self Storage, a storage facility where people can rent shipping containers, was broken into on the morning of 13 May between 1-5am.
It seems as if the thieves cut the electricity supply to the facility to disable the site’s CCTV cameras prior to carrying out the break-in. Businesses and houses in the surrounding area did experience power cuts during and after the time of the break-in, although the ESB was able to restore power within 24 hours.
Many units had their locks snapped off, but all that has been reported stolen to the gardaí so far was a battery which was taken out of a car being stored at the site and a first aid kit. However, one of the victims of the theft said that they had other items taken from their storage unit that was not included in the gardaí’s original report.
The thieves gained access to the facility through the front gate and gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
The break-in came a week after five scrambler bikes were taken from a similar self-storage facility where people can rent shipping containers on the Browneshill Road. A garda spokesperson said that the bikes were taken between 3-9am on 2 May. Like the Carlow Self Storage break-in, the thieves forced open several storage units. The five bikes reported stolen were taken from one unit.
One person who had items taken from a unit they rented at Carlow Self Storage said they were worried that not much was taken because the break-in might have been a scouting operation to see what valuable items are stored at the unit with a view to returning later and stealing them. He said that the break-in seemed to be well planned and orchestrated.
“My fear is that they come back at a later stage having pinpointed the storage units that have something worth taking,” he said.
Fees for storing items at the site differ, depending on how much space people require. A small unit is €120 a month, a medium unit is €180 and a large unit is €360.
When contacted for comment, a representative for Carlow Self Storage said that they could not comment on the break-in as it is the subject of a garda investigation.
