A number of childhood vaccines were stolen from a GP practice in County Durham over the weekend.
Cleveland Police are investigating a break-in at the Riverside Medical Practice in Stockton and have issued a warning to the public ‘about buying and using these products’.
The police force is appealing for information about ‘two unknown men’ who broke into the surgery on Saturday night.
They said a ‘number of vaccinations for babies and young children’ were stolen from the GP practice – which serves just under 7,000 patients – but they did not reveal the specific vaccines.
GP partners at the practice told Pulse that vaccines worth ‘between £10,000 and £15,000 were destroyed or stolen’ during the break-in.
They also said a window was broken and other items such as a computer, spirometry machine, and phone were stolen.
Partner Dr Yusuf Soni said: ‘We are completely devastated as we had recently built the temporary extension with our own funding due to infrastructure shortages to provide excellent care to our patients.
‘At the time where general practice is under so much pressure, incidences like this add fuel to fire and make it very difficult to cope with the financial and mental stress.’
A statement published yesterday on the Cleveland Police website said: ‘Two unknown men broke into Riverside Medical Practice in Stockton on Saturday 7 December 2024 shortly after 10pm and stole a number of vaccinations for babies and young children.
‘Officers investigating the incident are appealing for witnesses and information, but also want to warn the public about buying or using these products without proper medical advice or administration.’
At the start of this year, a man was convicted and fined £100 for a burglary at a GP practice in Worcestershire.
That fella who “fathered the most babies” – where was he last weekend?