Police investigating the £100,000 of damage that forced Thwaites Brewery to throw away 1,700 pints of beer have arrested six people.
The historic brewers in Blackburn, Lancashire, said travellers turned the area into ‘a disgusting mess’ on May 28.
Today officers carried out dawn raids in Bolton, Greater Manchester, arresting a 43-year-old man on suspicion of burglary and blackmail.
They also arrested a man aged 32 on suspicion of burglary, a 33-year-old man on suspicion of burglary and shoplifting, two men aged 21 on suspicion of burglary and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of burglary.
Pictured are smashed plates and paperwork scattered all over the floor of one of the offices
About 100 travellers invaded the historic Thwaites Brewery and ‘evicted’ staff from entry
A Thwaites spokeswoman Sam Thomas thanked the police and support from local MPs
Police arrested five men in Bolton, Greater Manchester, following the disruption at the brewery in May
Employees at the plant were stunned to find 21 caravans and 25 vehicles at the site as trespassers set up camp in their workplace in May. Inside pictures reveal the extent of the damage caused during the trespassers’ stay.
Smashed plates, paperwork and files were strewn all over the floor of the offices and outside the site. One window appeared to have been smashed as well.
An ‘aggressive stand-off’ between the firm and travellers resulted in the police being called.
The brewery took to Twitter to reveal the aftermath at their site after the stand-off in May
One of the windows in an office at the historic brewery in Blackburn, Lancashire
The travellers allegedly forced their way in to the family-run business around 8pm and the site allegedly became ‘a disgusting mess’.
A spokesman for the company told The Sun at the time: ‘We have effectively been evicted from our head office and brewery site by a group of up to 100 travellers who are now denying us access in an aggressive stand-off.
‘Hourly the site is being degraded and in the space of a day has become a disgusting mess,’ the spokesman alleged.
The brewery took to Twitter, saying: ‘We have our Brewery back, but it’s going to be some time before we get it back to normal.
‘Luckily, we can count on our fantastic team who’ve all come to help clean up the mess. Thanks again for everyone’s support over the weekend!’
The firm created a crisis centre for their customers, as they waited for the courts to open after the bank holiday to seek an eviction notice.
Employees at the Blackburn plant were stunned to find it taken over with 21 caravans and 25 vehicles, as the trespassers set up camp in their workplace
Paperwork and files are left strewn on the floor outside the Thwaites Brewery
A Thwaites spokeswoman Sam Thomas thanked the police and support from local MPs
Assistant Chief Constable Jo Edwards, of Lancashire Police said today: ‘The incidents at Thwaites over the Bank Holiday weekend understandably caused a huge amount of upset and anger in the local community and we recognise that.
‘We have had a dedicated team of officers working hard behind the scenes to identify those responsible for causing these unacceptable criminal acts and this morning’s activity is just the latest stage in our ongoing investigation.
‘We continue to work closely with Thwaites Brewery and we have updated them with this morning’s activity.’
‘I would like to remind people that we generally have good relationships with the travelling community and the level of destruction and damage caused to the Thwaites site is not reflective of the behaviour of the majority of travellers.’
Earlier this month Thwaites confirmed it was unable to continue its 211 years of brewing beer at Penny Street because of the damage inflicted which cost more than £100,000.
Production will resume later this year when the brewery completes its planned switch to new headquarters in nearby Mellor Brook.
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