POLICE are appealing for witnesses after hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of wine was stolen from a Basingstoke wine merchant at the weekend.

Berry Bros and Rudd, in Hamilton Close, Houndmills was broken into between midnight and 12.30am on Sunday.

The crime was reported to the police later that day after the site manager discovered a hole in the warehouse wall and missing wine crates.

The exact number of crates taken and the monetary value of the wine stolen has not been revealed but Jim Pusey, a communications officer at Hampshire Constabulary, told The Gazette that the figure was "comfortably" at the six-figure mark and one crate stolen alone has been valued at over £5,000.

He added: "It looks as though a van has been used because of the amount of wine that has been taken. We are currently reviewing CCTV and anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 quoting the reference number 44150141199."

A spokesman for Berry Bros and Rudd said: "We’re working with police following an incident at one of our warehouses in Basingstoke and are thankful that none of our staff was injured.

"The security of our staff and facilities continues to be our highest priority, together with taking the best care of our customers."

No further details of the incident has been released at this stage.