Life-saving equipment stolen from fire stations

A fire officer said it "really is digusting" after thieves stole life-saving equipment worth up to £90,000 from fire stations in Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said the equipment was taken from stations in Woodhall Spa and Corby Glen, in Grantham, over the weekend.

Assistant chief fire officer Joe Haustead said: "It's absolutely tragic for us as a service and for our communities."

Lincolnshire Police said no arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.

Haustead said the attacks on both stations were similar in nature and style.

He said thieves had forced entry into the rear of the fire stations and also caused minor damage to fire appliances.

Lincolnshire Police said Corby Glen fire station, on Bourne Road, was burgled on Friday and the fire station at Woodhall Spa was broken into between Saturday and Sunday.

The force said the stolen equipment "would be used to rescue people who are trapped and other specialist items".

Haustead said: "These types of incidents really are disgusting because that is having an impact on our capabilities."

He added: "It's heartbreaking for me to see it happen and also for our firefighters.

"Our job primarily is there to protect and then save lives."

Haustead said there had been an increase in similar incidents locally and nationally.

In December 2025, life-saving tools worth about £50,000 were stolen from stations in Brant Broughton, Billinghay and Metheringham.

"We are working hard now to increase the security measures across all our fire stations which hopefully will make it a lot harder and also deter people in the future from targeting us in this way," he said.

Haustead urged members of the public who see anything suspicious and out of the ordinary around their fire stations to report it to the police.

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