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Rural Saanich farm reports large metal gate stolen

Muddy Valley Farm gate stolen overnight by ‘at least two people’
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Muddy Valley Farm in rural Saanich is calling for witnesses after its large metal gate was stolen overnight on Monday, Jan. 18. (Muddy Valley Farm/Facebook)

A farm in rural Saanich is on the hunt for its large metal gate that, after more than two decades of protecting their animals, was stolen.

At some point between midnight and 6 a.m. on Monday (Jan. 18), a heavy, 12-foot gate made of metal tubes was taken from Muddy Valley Farm in the 4700-block of Interurban Road. According to a Facebook post, the locks and chains were cut and the gate was lifted right off its hinges by “at least two people.”

Bill Harding, the property owner, said his daughter noticed the gate was missing around 11 a.m. on Monday.

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“It’s the strangest thing,” Harding said, adding that the police officer who responded said that over his career he’d investigated thousands of thefts but never a stolen gate.

The situation could have been much more serious had the farm’s animals been in that field at the time, Harding said. Horses, mules, dogs and ducks frequent the area and could have been injured if they’d wandered out onto Interurban Road.

Because the gate is so large, the owners say it would have been obvious to other drivers so they hope someone spotted something unusual overnight or noticed a large gate appear in their neighbourhood or online. The gate is metal with rust in the middle and may still have a small money box bolted to it.

“It’s less about the gate itself but more about catching the guys who did it,” Harding said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321 and refer to file #21-1426.


@devonscarlett
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devon.bidal@saanichnews.com