Thieves have stolen more than 70,000 pints of Guinness from a Cheshire depot after driving off with two lorry trailers full of beer on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cheshire Constabulary say around 800 barrels of the stout were taken during two separate raids at a facility on Aston Lane in Runcorn. The stolen Guinness alone carries an estimated value of £115,000, while the overall loss — including the commercial trailers and other property — is valued at approximately £205,000.

The timeline pieced together by detectives shows a coordinated effort over the course of the evening. According to police, the first heavy goods vehicle pulled into the depot at roughly 7.45pm. Within about ten minutes, the driver connected to a loaded trailer and departed, travelling in the direction of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

Less than an hour and a half later, a second lorry arrived at the exact same location. Officers report that this vehicle entered the site at 9.12pm, hitched up a second trailer containing Guinness barrels, and drove away at around 9.30pm heading towards Rainhill and Watkinson Way.

The volume taken is substantial. Police calculate that the two trailers held roughly 70,400 pints of Guinness between them, with the stock originally destined to supply pubs.

The depot is situated on the Whitehouse Industrial Estate, where Diageo, the company behind Guinness, operates a packaging warehouse.

Both stolen trailers are described by police as white, tri-axle curtain-side vehicles. They carry prominent GXO branding across their curtains and rear doors, and officers have released specific fleet markings to help motorists and logistics workers spot them. The trailers bear identifying codes DL736 and DL542 in the upper-left corner of the rear doors.

Detectives believe both lorries were operated by male drivers and have issued descriptions as part of a public appeal. The driver of the first vehicle is described as a white man with a short dark beard who was wearing a beanie hat. The second driver is believed to have been wearing a cap.

What we don't know yet is how the drivers managed to access the depot and remove two separate trailers during the same evening without being intercepted, or where the cargo was taken after leaving the area. Cheshire Constabulary say establishing those details remains a key focus of their inquiry.

Investigators are now appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage from anyone who travelled along the getaway routes on Monday evening. Officers are particularly keen to hear from motorists who noticed suspicious activity near Aston Lane around the time of the first theft.

Anyone with information or footage is urged to contact Cheshire Constabulary via their website or by calling 101, quoting incident number IML-2408641. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.