Posted on: May 4th, 2022

A member of Te Papapa Onehunga Rugby and Sports Club's committee summed it up perfectly - "it sucks".

Lynne Wright told 1News non-copper piping under its club rooms, located in Fergusson Domain, had been ripped off the walls around 3am on Monday.

Thieves had also gone as far as taking the whole hot water system and sawing off the handle for the mains.

To make matters worse, the plumbing stolen was the replacement for copper plumbing stolen in December last year. It had only been in place for a month.

Wright said the club was now without water and as a result was unable to hold any of its upcoming home games, a blow for the small club.

To add insult to injury, last night one side of the club rooms was tagged.

"We just want a place where we can produce really good athletes," Wright said.

The burglaries have dealt an around $14,000 blow to the club's bank account. Cleaning up the graffiti will add more.

Wright said the burglaries were "really disheartening" for the club and for all of those in the community who used its facilities.

An alarm, locks and CCTV hadn't been enough to deter the thieves.

"We want the best for our local community and a place they can be really proud of and feel safe coming here. We want people to have confidence we can provide a nice environment for kids to grow up in and play sport," Wright said.

Some members of the club had offered to camp out and try and catch the thieves if they came back, but Wright said it was not the answer.

"Maybe sport might get them back on track," Wright remarked.

Police said they were investigating the burglary that occurred at around 3am on Monday.

They were making enquires into the incident and reviewing all available CCTV footage.

"A burglary like this really impacts on a local sports club that does their best provide good quality facilities to its local members young and old," police said.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact police on 105, quoting file number 220503/1635.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Original Article: https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/05/05/auckland-sports-club-reeling-after-plumbing-stolen-for-second-time/

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