Police investigating how 'irreplaceable' mayoral chains may be sold after burglary at Dewsbury Town Hall

CCTV and forensic enquires are continuing into the offence today as detectives and local Dewsbury officers work with council partners to examine all potential lines of investigation, including how the chains may be sold.

Officers were called at 6.28am on Monday 2 February to a report thieves had broken in through the roof of the building at around 8.15pm on February 1.

Once inside they targeted a cabinet and stole the gold chains, which date back to 1897, before making their way out through the roof.

Detective Inspector Divek Ubhi of Kirklees CID, said: “We are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry to recover these chains and are well aware of their value to the people of Dewsbury.

“Our crime scene specialists have been active at the scene and we have been speaking with businesses in the area near the town hall to try and recover any and all available CCTV which may assist the investigation.

“Also, anyone who has information about persons trying to sell the chains, as pictured, is urged to get in touch. As a symbol of Dewsbury’s history and heritage they are quite simply irreplaceable, and we are doing all we can to locate them.”

The chains were the only items taken in the break-in and are described as being of “significant monetary value,” as well as of even greater historical value to the town.

Anyone who saw persons behaving suspiciously on the roof of the town hall or nearby it from about 8pm on Sunday night or has footage which shows suspicious behaviour at the time of the break-in, or just after is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police.

Information can be shared with police via calling 101 or online via the 101LiveChat referencing crime number 13260064393. It can also be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.