Hartlepool practice ‘ransacked’ in break-in

A veterinary practice in north-east England has apologised to clients for service disruption caused by a break-in at its premises.

Police have warned the public not to use medicines stolen from the Clifton Lodge Veterinary Group site in Hartlepool following the incident on Friday night (20 June) because of potential side effects.

Officers have also urged anyone with information about the raid, or any subsequent sale or offer of animal medicines, to come forward.

Practice clients were informed of the incident via a post on the group’s Facebook page on Saturday morning, which said: “Unfortunately our Hartlepool surgery was broken into overnight.

“We will still be offering a service today, but this will be disrupted while we await crime scene investigators. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

‘Ransacked’

A spokesperson for VetPartners, which owns the group, said today that it was “supporting the practice team”, but could not add anything further to the information that had already been released.

Earlier, a Cleveland Police statement said the Stockton Road premises had been “ransacked” after raiders forced entry at around 11:30pm on Friday.

The force added that “various enquiries” were ongoing, including a review of CCTV footage, and any items found should be handed in to a police station or otherwise disposed of safely.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 113286, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.