Thieves dismantle Co. Antrim farm facility in £100,000 copper and machinery raid

Losses and damage exceeding £100,000 have been reported after thieves stripped copper and stole machinery from a property near Ballymena in Co. Antrim, leaving the facility inoperable.

The raid targeted a site on the Granagh Road in Cullybackey that formed part of a local agricultural manufacturer's expansion plans and was undergoing refurbishment. The owner believes the theft occurred between Friday, October 9 and Sunday, October 11, although the exact timing has not been established.

Stolen items include a JCB 530-70 telehandler valued at approximately £15,000, industrial machinery, welding equipment and significant quantities of copper.

How did the thieves get in?

According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, those responsible cut locks on several gates to access the secured premises, forced their way into buildings, and exited by ramming security doors to remove the machinery.

Once inside, the intruders systematically targeted valuable machinery and copper-containing services equipment. A transformer weighing approximately 500kg was cut open and dismembered to extract its copper components.

Other electrical equipment was also stripped. The thieves spent considerable time breaking into and dismantling equipment, digging up floors and underground ducts to recover valuable materials. The owner has reported damage to floors and building structures.

What equipment was taken?

Welding machinery made by Panasonic, Kemper, Fronius and Yaskawa was removed, along with associated materials. Four red Fronius welding machines are easily identifiable.

The thieves arrived with a key matched to the JCB telehandler. A second excavator suffered serious electrical damage in an unsuccessful attempt to start it. Evidence at the scene shows a 12V caravan battery was used to start the machines.

The stolen JCB 530-70 is an older model with the battery located at the doorstep. Weighing 8t, the telehandler would require a lorry with loading ramps to move, and further evidence suggests the offenders brought additional equipment to help access the machinery.

Police believe the scale of the damage and the effort involved rule out an opportunistic theft.

The owner said: "What I can't believe is the lengths they've gone to just to get at all the copper. They've dismantled heavy equipment, damaged machinery and the building, and caused an extraordinary amount of destruction."

They added: "There is evidence suggesting they may have brought their own equipment to help access the machinery. The level of preparation and destruction is quite shocking. We estimate the total losses and damage are in excess of £100,000."

Why copper is driving rural raids

The owner warned that copper scrap value stands at an all-time high of £9,500/t, which explains the determination shown at Cullybackey. The business impact extends beyond the stolen items to destroyed equipment, repair costs and disruption to planned work.

"We want to warn other property owners, farmers and rural businesses to be particularly vigilant," the owner said.

Where is the telehandler now?

Police consider it likely the machine has been moved out of the area, possibly through one of the ports or travelled to the south of Ireland.

The owner is appealing to anyone in Cullybackey, Ballymena and surrounding villages with road-facing CCTV, dashcam, business or farmyard security footage to check recordings for a commercial vehicle carrying this equipment. Sightings of a lorry or low-loader transporting a yellow JCB 530-70 telehandler, older model with the battery at the doorstep, are of particular interest anytime after October 9.

A £4,000 reward is proposed for information leading to both the recovery of the stolen machinery and a conviction.

Anyone with information can call or WhatsApp 0044 7436 284168, or contact police on 101 in Northern Ireland, or 0044 2890 650222 from the Republic of Ireland or the UK. Information can also go directly to the PSNI under reference 323 of 20/10/26. The public is urged not to approach anyone suspected of involvement, but to preserve footage and pass it to the contacts above.

Farmers, machinery dealers, agricultural contractors and haulage businesses should watch for machinery offered at unusually low prices or machines appearing locally under suspicious circumstances in the coming weeks.