Surf school at Bude, Cornwall forced to cancel bookings after trailer and paddleboards were stolen

• Watch Marina Jenkins' report on the stolen equipment from Freewave Surf Academy

A surf school at Bude, Cornwall, has been forced to cancel at least one booking and delay the start of this season’s Stand Up Paddling club event because a trailer full of paddleboards has been stolen.

Freewave Surf Academy said the box trailer had 15 boards, paddles and wetsuits inside when it was taken over the weekend.

Owner Robin Ross said: “We had all of our paddleboards ready for the Easter holidays, which this year is coming with sunshine, which is lovely and which naturally make us a little bit busier.

“However, we've been left sort of high and dry, unable to fulfill some of the bookings that we had already, and future bookings and paddleboard club as well, which is in its second year, which is supposed to start on Thursday, which we've had to cancel at least for the foreseeable future.”

It’s thought the trailer was taken in the early hours of Sunday 30 March and towed away by a dark coloured 4x4 type vehicle.

The theft means the surf school has already lost a large group booking and it’s expected that the equipment will cost around £16,000 to replace.

Mr Ross said: “Over the last couple of years Cornwall has got quieter and quieter. So the need for bookings has become greater and greater.

“Especially as we are coming out of winter, when we are at our weakest point financially anyway, to have a hit like this on our potential income and the massive cost of what it will cost to replace it is not something we're happy about.”

The trailer is approximately 15 feet long and 8 feet high and is covered with the surf school signage. It also features The Bude Way branding from the Bude Climate Partnership on the back.

Devon & Cornwall Police says enquiries into the theft are ongoing. Anybody with information of relevant footage is asked to contact police quoting 50250079972

Mr Ross added: “What I'd like to do is deter this from happening again. We're not the only one this has happened too, our neighbours got a trailer stolen from Widemouth Bay back in November with all their surf school boards and wetsuits.

“It’s happening more and more and we want to try and do all we can to put a stop to it so we can make Bude a place people don't want to come to do these sorts of things, then that's a positive result.”