Published Tuesday 9 July 2019 at 16:18
A MAYOR has today launched an appeal for information regarding the theft of his charity gin from a Blackburn bar.
Thousands of pounds worth of spirits were also stolen from the independent Shh! Bar in Northgate, Blackburn around 1am on Monday, July 9, 2019.
Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Mayor, Cllr Jim Shorrock, expressed his disgust after discovering the bar’s entire spirits stock has been stolen, including four bottles of the Mayor’s exclusive ‘Cotton Borough Gin’ and the bar’s own strawberry and black pepper Whitworth gin
Cllr Shorrock said without the certificate of authentication and gift bag for the Cotton Borough Gin, the street value would be minimal. He said the bottles can also be traced as they have limited edition serial numbers B1 47, 48, 49 and 50.
He has urged anyone who is offered the unique gins to contact Police on 101.
The Mayor, who has served in the RAF as a Steward and also been a pub landlord, said:
The people responsible should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Depriving the bar of sales and my charities of vital resources is deplorable. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time I’ve experienced this.
When I was a landlord I came back to the pub to find two burglars behind the door emptying the contents of the fruit machine. I shouted a few choice words at them and they dashed upstairs, I went outside to call the Police but they managed to escape.
I think it was my RAF training that made me react in that way. It’s scumbags like this that spoil it for people trying to make an honest living and I’m genuinely devastated for Martin and Michael.
Cllr Shorrock added:
What has happened is terrible. Stealing from charity and the impact that incidents like this have on a local small business is immense. This bar is very much a reflection of their own personalities so it becomes very personal and upsetting to have this happen.
It’s soul destroying. The best very best ‘tonic’ would be to catch the culprits and justice served.
Martin and Michael Mahon, who own Shh! Bar, thanked the Council and Police for acting quickly to help but said it’s left them “heart-broken”.
Martin added:
It’s really knocked the wind out of our sails, we can’t go through this again. It makes you wonder whether it’s all worth it but the support we have received and the messages on social media make you realise that there are good people out there.
A Lancashire Police spokesman added:
We would encourage anyone with information to contact us and help us bring to justice those responsible for this.
If anybody has any CCTV that would be useful to the investigation, we would ask for that to be sent to us.