'Vital' rescue equipment stolen from fire station

Vital rescue equipment worth £30,000 has been stolen from firefighters, a local authority has said.

Surrey County Council said police were appealing for information following a break-in at Painshill Fire Station in Cobham between midnight and around 3:00 BST on Wednesday.

Items for saving people involved in serious traffic collisions and other emergencies were taken, such as hydraulic cutting tools, it said.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said it remains able to respond to emergency incidents.

However, it added that replacing this type of equipment can be costly and creates avoidable disruption for firefighters.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Dan Quin said: "I am extremely disappointed that an emergency service has been targeted in this way, following an appalling national trend.

He added that the stolen items were "geo-fenced", which means they can be can be tracked by GPS and remotely disabled.

"They will be of no operational use to anyone who has taken them," he said.

"We urge those involved, or anyone with information, to come forward now."

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