Vintage motorbikes worth £20k stolen from Quarry Bank business
Four 'irreplaceable' motorcycles thought to be worth around £20,000 were stolen as thieves raided a Black Country business.
The vintage bikes, which included a model thought to be the only of its kind, were taken from Villiers Services in Quarry Bank, which restores motorcycle engines and provides parts.
Steve Gollings, owner of the company, said he was 'gutted' to lose the bikes which were part of his personal collection.
The prized bikes included a BSA A10 Road Rocket, which he helped build from scratch, and a Greeves 380 Griffon scrambler he has competed on in tournaments.
But most cherished of all is the 1958 Mercury - which Mr Gollings believes is the only one of its kind and worth around £6,000.
Mr Gollings, aged 39, said: "I built the engine for a customer and because it was a Black Country bike and so unique pestered him for about 15 years to let us have it.
"It is the only known one left. They did a short run of them and then the company went bust."
The business on Merry Hill specialises in Villiers engines from the historic firm formerly based in Wolverhampton.
He is now appealing for anyone who sees the motorcycles or is offered them for sale to come forward.
Mr Gollings said: "The business started out as we were enthusiasts. Eventually we had a business without knowing it.
"It's not just a business it's a passion and a lifestyle so it's a blow.
"The Greeves twin came to us in 1,000 bits and ended up being highly commended in a show in Stafford recently.
"In the motorcycle world everybody knows everybody and trusts everybody.
"It's the first time something bad has happened to us. It makes us feel vulnerable and has made us really review our security."
Mr Gollings' mother and father, who are in their late 60s and live at the house the business is connected to, were in when the burglars struck at around 1am on Saturday morning and he fears he may never get the motorcycles back.
He said: "They heard the alarms and came down at 4am and straight away noticed customer area lights were on.
"We think they climbed over the fence and have then smashed through one of the doors to get into the private collection.
"They seem like opportunistic toe rags so the worry is they will ride them till they run out of petrol and not able to start then chuck them in the cut or set fire to them."
Mr Gollings said he is offering a reward for anyone who passes on information leading to the return of the bikes.
Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police on 101.
