A FURIOUS grandfather has hit out at the thieves who stole his 15ft blue Canadian canoe from the bottom of his garden on Merrimans Hill Road.
Stephen Goodchild spoke to the Observer after the heartless raid overnight on Friday (July 17) which took place a year after the family moved to the city.
He believes the thieves either swam across the canal from the towpath or climbed over railings on the St George’s Road North canal bridge and along the back of two neighbouring gardens to steal the canoe.
“Our own paddles were in our cellar, so the thieves either brought their own or used their hands to paddle the canoe away. To carry out the theft obviously it required some planning and means to transport the canoe away from the area,” he said.
The unique canoe was a popular sight on the city’s canal and was beloved by Mr Goodchild’s grandchildren who were looking forward to taking to the water during the school summer holidays.
“When they found out about the theft their first reaction was ‘how are we going to pick blackberries now’,” Mr Goodchild added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.
