FIVE men have been charged in connection with a ram raid at a plumbing merchant’s in Redditch during which boilers were stolen.

The raid happened at Graham The Plumbers’ Merchant in Washford Drive on the Park Farm Industrial Estate at 7.35pm on Tuesday, 6 May, when it was reported that a van had rammed the door shutters outside and a number of men were loading property into the vehicle.

Shortly afterwards another member of the public reported seeing a van in suspicious circumstances, which led to a vehicle being stopped nearby by an officer on patrol.

Five men from Wolverhampton were arrested at the scene and a number of boilers seized.

The men were taken to Worcester Police Station and later all charged with burgling the plumbing warehouse and stealing nine boilers worth £14,447.

Three of them, all in their 20s, were released on police bail to appear at Worcester Magistrates Court on Monday, 2 June.

The other two, Jonathan Matthews, aged 44, of Westcroft Avenue, and Robert Goodwin, aged 49, of Orslow Walk, New Park Village, appeared before Kidderminster magistrates last week when they were remanded in custody to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Monday, 11 August.