A bowls club has been left "disappointed" and "upset" after £40,000 worth of equipment was stolen from one of its sheds. 

Police have issued a warning following the break-in at Stowupland Bowls Club, which is being linked to another burglary in Semer, near Hadleigh, which saw £30,000 of items stolen.  

Sergeant Chris Green, of the Rural Crime and Wildlife Team at Suffolk police, has warned business and residential properties to review security measures and "stay vigilant to suspicious behaviour."

Thieves stole £40,000 worth of equipment from the bowls clubThieves stole £40,000 worth of equipment from the bowls club (Image: Google Maps) Michael Weir, part of the Church Road-based bowls club, near Stowmarket, said the burglary had left its members feeling "frustrated". 

"We are very disappointed and upset and frustrated because of all the hard work that they have put in to see it go to no avail. 

"At the front of our gates we have got some posts to stop people driving on to the green and stop people parking there. So they cut through the padlock on the post, put the post down, drove a vehicle up to the gate, cut through the gate and they were able to get through to the garage where all the equipment is stored.

"We have been trying to assess what we need to do in order to resecure the building."

Thieves stole lawn mowers, strimmers and other heavy machinery, worth approximately £40,000, from the club, which has around 40 members, at some point between 2.30pm on Tuesday, October 22 and 9am the following day. 

Police believe it could be linked to a burglary which took place in the village of Semer between October 5 and October 6. 

The value of items stolen from a house in the village totalled £30,000. Suffolk police believe it is "very likely" to have been a planned burglary, with offenders having prior knowledge of the items.
 

Sergeant Chris GreenSergeant Chris Green (Image: Charlotte Bond) Sgt Chris Green said: “Our inquiries into the incident are on-going and we’d appeal for anyone who saw or heard any suspicious behaviour in the area to get in touch with us.

"The bowls club has a large membership and I have no doubt that this is going to a real impact on that community and the club members with much distress caused.

“The clocks go back this weekend, meaning shorter days and more darkness so it is a timely opportunity to remind people with business and residential properties to review your security measures and stay vigilant to suspicious behaviour."