£205,000 Guinness Theft
Police Investigate Theft of 800 Barrels of Guinness From Cheshire Depot
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Key Points
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The Guinness itself was estimated to be worth about £115,000, with the two trailers accounting for the remainder of the approximately £205,000 total value.
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Police said the first lorry driver was a white man with a short dark beard wearing a beanie hat, while the second driver was believed to be wearing a cap.
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Detective Sergeant Gary McClatchey said investigators were seeking “nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.”
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The theft occurred on the Bank Holiday Monday evening of Aug. 31 at the Whitehouse Industrial Estate in Runcorn, near Liverpool.
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The incident followed a separate U.S. beer theft in which 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon were stolen from a Southern California warehouse; Pabst offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to their recovery.
British police are hunting for 800 barrels of Guinness—roughly 70,000 pints—stolen from a depot in Runcorn, Cheshire on August 31. The Drinks Business reports the haul, valued at approximately £115,000, was loaded onto two separate lorries in broad daylight and driven away from the Whitehouse Industrial Estate. The theft marks one of the largest beer heists in recent UK memory.
Two HGV trailers identified as white, tri-axle curtain-sided units bearing numbers DL736 and DL542 were later recovered in Lathom, Skelmersdale—about 30 miles away—but the Guinness cargo remains missing. Cheshire Live reports the two trailers themselves, both GXO-branded, were valued at £90,000, bringing the total loss to roughly £205,000. Police are appealing for dashcam footage and eyewitness accounts of the vehicles.
A Brazen Heist in Broad Daylight
On the Bank Holiday Monday evening of August 31, two lorries pulled up to the Whitehouse Industrial Estate and connected to Guinness-loaded trailers. The Drinks Business states one lorry headed toward the Mersey Gateway, while the second drove toward Rainhill and Watkinson Way. The operation appeared coordinated and professional—the drivers knew exactly where to find the shipment and how to extract it quickly.
Police described the first lorry driver as a white man with a short dark beard wearing a beanie hat. The second driver was believed to be wearing a cap. Detective Sergeant Gary McClatchey told investigators to pursue "nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen," signaling the seriousness of the case.
Trailers Found But Beer Still Missing
Hours after the theft, police recovered both GXO-branded trailers in Lathom, Skelmersdale—a 30-mile journey from Runcorn. Cheshire Live reports the empty trailers were found relatively quickly, but the 800 barrels had vanished. The speed of the recovery suggests the thieves either transferred the cargo rapidly or abandoned the trailers as planned to obscure their trail.
The barrels contained approximately 70,400 pints of Guinness intended for British pubs. Lancashire Evening Post noted the cargo represented a massive supply disruption for multiple venues. The fact that only the trailers—not the beer—were recovered indicates the criminals had a buyer or storage location lined up in advance.
A Growing Wave of Beverage Thefts
This Guinness heist is not an isolated incident. In a separate case, 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon were stolen from a Southern California warehouse. Manchester Evening News highlighted the pattern of sophisticated beer theft operations targeting high-value inventory across continents. Pabst offered a $20,000 reward for recovery—showing how serious breweries take these losses.
Police in Cheshire are now appealing to motorists with dashcam footage and anyone with information about the whereabouts of the barrels. The £115,000 cargo represents a lucrative black market. Pub owners across the region are on alert as supplies tighten and the investigation widens.
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