Milltech vows to battle through hard times
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By Joanna Bourke
MILLTECH HAULAGE, which was hit by both an arson attack and fuel thefts last week, has vowed to emerge stronger and continue the business.
A total of six lorries have been written off, as well as the aggregates cargo they were carrying, after a deliberate blaze at the operator’s Winksworth, Derbyshire yard in the early hours of Friday 8 April.
DS Tim Nye of Derbyshire Police says the ire “was clearly an arson attack”, and he is urging anyone who was in the area at around 4am to come forward.
Greg Dukes, owner of Milltech Haulage, tells CM: “I was alerted to the ire at around 4.20am and quickly drove to the yard. I managed to drive a seventh lorry away, which broke up the line of 14 trucks, meaning just six were destroyed.” However, the irm was then subjected to thieves breaking into the company premises on Saturday 9 April, and siphoning diesel from the remaining trucks.
“We are a small local haulier and to think that we have been subjected to this is heartbreaking.
“It’s a sad sign of the times when you not only have your leet destroyed, but then you get hit by fuel thefts,” says Dukes.
He is offering a £1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Dukes is determined the business will continue to trade and has revealed he is planning to purchase a Scania and have it liveried with a phoenix emerging from lames, to symbolise that the company will re-emerge from the ashes.
“I am prepared to beg and borrow to ensure we have vehicles to get us through this while we wait on insurance checks, and I don’t want to lose any workers, so it will be tough, but I am going to make sure we can be bigger and better after these awful events.”
● Anyone with any information can contact DC Kevin Matlock on 0345 123 3333, or Dukes at greg.milltech@gmail.com. Anyone wanting to show their support, can join Milltech’s Facebook fan page on http://tiny.cc/428wy