Red Bull trophies found in a lake

Police have recovered 20 of the 60 trophies stolen from Red Bull’s factory two weeks ago.

The trophies, which were stolen on December 6 after thieves rammed the entrance of the team’s Milton Keynes HQ, were found in a lake near Sandhurst.

Detective Constable Chris Oakman said: "We estimate about 20 trophies have been recovered, but we are liaising with Red Bull to establish the exact number, as some of the trophies are damaged."

It's understood that the trophies were recovered after being spotted by a member of the public. Sandhurst is approximately 75 miles from Milton Keynes.

Red Bull won four consecutive 'title doubles' between 2010 and 2013 before losing out to Mercedes this term. However, according to team boss Christian Horner, the trophies they accrued during their sustained run of success have little market value.

"It's good news that some of our trophies have been found and thanks to the police for all their help so far. The fact that some of the trophies were discarded in a lake and damaged shows how senseless this crime was," said Horner.

"While the trophies mean an enormous amount to the team, their intrinsic value is low – and the extent of the damage that was caused to the factory by the offenders during the break-in was significant. Hopefully we can get the trophies back to our factory where they belong and get replicas made of those that we can't. Thanks to everyone involved for their help so far."

If you have any information that may assist the investigation, please contact Milton Keynes Force CID on the Thames Valley Police non-emergency enquiry centre number 101. If calling from overseas, please dial 0044 1865 841148 to contact Thames Valley Police from outside of the United Kingdom.
 
If you don't want to speak directly to the police, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.