ROBOTS worth nearly half-a-million pounds have been stolen in a heist at a Selby District factory.

The thieves snatched nine aluminium Pick and Place Robot Heads, used in the production of plastic containers, in a six-minute raid at Constar International, on the Moor Lane Trading Estate, in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

The machines, worth about £450,000 in total, were taken between 5.39am and 5.46am yesterday when three men in a white LDV van entered the tool room at the 35-year-old engineering firm.

But they were then disturbed by a worker at the factory before escaping towards West Yorkshire, with police in that area joining officers from North Yorkshire Police in searching the area. They are still looking to trace the van used and analysing CCTV footage in an attempt to identify the thieves.

Andy Smith, engineering manager at the firm, which specialises in making performed bottles for famous brands such as Coca-Cola and Britvic, said the robots were “extremely specialist” and used to transport products onto conveyor belts.

He said the estimated cost of replacing each of the nine robots is £50,000, adding: “If they were being sold for scrap metal, they would only fetch about £15,000, but to replace them is going to cost a fortune.

“It is also our busiest time so this theft has caused us a massive headache.”

Mr Smith said that while the theft would have “a massive knock-on effect for the company”, it would not affect jobs or staffing levels.

PC Ben Pepper, of Sherburn Police, said: “This incident has caused a great deal of inconvenience to the company involved and we are working hard to trace those responsible.

“The machinery is only worth a small amount in scrap, but it will cost the company thousands and thousands of pounds to replace them.

“I am appealing to anyone who saw any suspicious activity around the Moor Lane area at the time to contact police or immediately.”

Constar International is offering a £5,000 reward to anyone who provides information resulting in the conviction of the thieves. Anybody with information about the crime should contact PC Pepper on 0845 6060247 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.