A PALLET-manufacturing company has had its production seriously disrupted after being hit by a mini crime wave.

Thieves plundered the main office and garage at Kerfoot Enterprises in Radcliffe before arsonists set fire to pallets and timber in a corner of the yard.

Three fire crews from Bury and Whitefield spent several hours tackling Monday's blaze.

It was feared the flames would spread to the nearby main office building at the Barlow Works in Stand Lane.

The structure was scorched but firefighters prevented the fire from engulfing the office.

Now, boss Andy Kerfoot is trying to come to terms with the fire and the twin break-ins.

He said: "We lost about 300 wooden pallets, together with a lot of timber stored in that corner of the yard. The timber is used for making the pallets and we lost a lot of our stock. We recycle old pallets."

To make matters worse, the flames burned through an electric cable, cutting off power completely to one of two on-site production areas.

The company's woes began on Saturday (May 2) when thieves targeted the office. "They ripped out all the phones and then tried to break into a nearby shed where our stacker truck is," said Mr Kerfoot, who has run the business for five years.

He added: "On Sunday night or Monday, we suffered a break-in at our garage shed.

"They gained entry through the skylight, got down into the garage, and took out our tools and a compressor, as well as smashing a wagon window.

"To top it all, they set fire to the pallets."

He is certain the second burglary and fire are linked and police inquiries into all the incidents are continuing.

Mr Kerfoot said the break-ins and fire had hit the company for six. "We'll have to replace the electricity cable and, because our stockpile has been damaged, get new stocks of timber."

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