Historic 129-year-old mayoral chains stolen during burglary at Dewsbury Town Hall

Detectives from Kirklees CID would like to speak to anyone who has any information about the burglary on Sunday evening at Dewsbury Town Hall in which the Dewsbury mayoral chains were stolen.

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

Detective Inspector Divek Ubhi of Kirklees CID, said: “The Mayoral Chains are of significant cultural and historical value to the town of Dewsbury and its residents, and this theft will cause real upset and anger.

“Detectives are investigating this break-in and we are liaising closely with our partners at Kirklees Council to do everything we can to try and identify suspects and recover the chains for communities.”

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

Anyone who saw persons behaving suspiciously on the roof of the town hall or nearby it from about 8pm on Sunday night or who has any information at all about the theft is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police.

“We are deeply shocked following the theft of the historic Mayoral Chains from Dewsbury Town Hall. The mayoral chains are an important part of Dewsbury’s civic heritage. Their significance to the people and history of Dewsbury is even greater than their monetary value,” Coun Carole Pattison, Leader of Kirklees Council, said.

“We are working closely with West Yorkshire Police to support their investigation and urge anyone with information to contact the police so we can recover these local treasures.”

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.