Lamp posts stolen from Blaenavon Heritage Railway station

The railway re-opens to the public in April, but volunteers preparing it for the new season came in on Tuesday morning to find three of the lamp posts at Blaenavon High Level Station were missing.

It appears that the thieves forced entry to the adjacent land to gain access to the station. They then appeared to use an angle grinder to shear the bolts and make off with the lamp posts.

The lamp posts were taken from Blaenavon High Level Station between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning. Picture: Blaenavon Heritage Railway.

The theft took place between 4pm on Sunday, February 6 and 10am on Tuesday, February 8.

The Victorian-style lamp posts were installed in 2020 to improve the atmosphere at the station for visitors, and their theft came as “a deep blow” to the railway’s volunteers.

Huw Morgan, the railway's head of stations said: “We try to make things better for our passengers and the community and then someone goes and does something like this, all just to make their own homes or gardens look nicer or make quick money off the back of our volunteers’ efforts.

The Victorian-style lamp posts were installed at Blaenavon High Level Station in 2020. Picture: Blaenavon Heritage Railway

“I'm absolutely gutted. I know it’s just a lamp post but the team has put a lot of work in to the stations and they railway has put a lot of money in.

“In the times that we are in, it’s just scraping us again.

“We’ve got other projects on the railway, and you start to think is it worth it or will they be destroyed too.”

The theft has been reported to the police, volunteers at the railway have said, and anyone with any information about it has been urged to come forward. The crime refence number is 2958/2.

Volunteers at Blaenavon Heritage Railway believe an angle grinder was used to dislodge the lamp posts. Picture: Blaenavon Heritage Railway.

“The posts will be difficult to sell, and all their theft has achieved is giving its dedicated volunteers the cost and task of replacing them,” said Jamie Warner, secretary of Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway Company.

“It has come as a deep blow to our dedicated volunteers.

“The theft has caused considerable upset to the team who work hard on its ongoing development.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation – if they are able to – to help the railway replace the lamp posts can do so via bhrailway.co.uk/product-page/make-a-donation

A Gwent Police spokesperson said: “We received a report that three decorative lampposts were taken from Varteg Road, Varteg by an unknown person at some point between 4pm on Sunday, February 6 and 9am on Tuesday, February 8.

“Anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, can call 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting log reference 2200044977.

“Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with details.”