Plea after £6,500 of equipment stolen from woodland

Waingroves Community Woodlands Trust said most of their equipment had been stolen

Volunteers who look after a woodland in Derbyshire have appealed for information after most of their "essential" equipment was stolen.

Derbyshire Police said tools were stolen from locked containers at Waingroves Woodland, near Ripley, between Sunday and Wednesday.

The Waingroves Community Woodlands Trust said a muck truck, petrol generator, lawnmower, hedge cutters, a brush cutter, and a strimmer "vanished" after being taken by thieves.

David Williams, a member of the trust, said: "This equipment is very useful in our maintenance work - trimming trees and vegetation, planting trees, logging work, and its loss through theft is presently a big blow to us."

Waingroves Community Woodland Trust purchased 12.75 acres of woodland - after a public meeting in October 2010 stated the woods were up for sale and could become development land.

About 140 people and village groups donated £20,000 to purchase the woods in July 2011, which have been cared for by volunteers ever since.

Mr Williams said the tools being stolen was a "kick in the guts" for him and the other volunteers.

"It's a massive blow to us," he said.

"We're having to beg people for spare equipment until it all, hopefully, comes back."

Mr Williams said about £6,500 of equipment was stolen.

"The woodlands mean a great deal to us and they are a jewel in the local community's crown. It's a place of beauty that needs looking after," he added.

"We would like all items returned as soon as possible. These tools mean a lot more to us than they do to anybody else."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.