County Durham Grandma offers £1,000 reward to find man who stole her swimming pool

A livid grandma is offering a £1,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of a man who stole her outdoor swimming pool.

Noreen Crawford, 56, bought the pool for her 10-year-old grandson Michael, who struggles with anxiety.

The pool setup in her Leadgate home's back garden cost a total of £450, including a heater, pump and cover.

And the 56-year-old was left distraught after waking up one morning to discover the pool had been taken overnight.

The family's CCTV shows a man in their garden in the early hours of November 24, prompting them to call the police.

Noreen Crawford is offering a £1,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of the man who stole her grandson's swimming pool (Submitted)

Noreen said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw it was missing.

"I'm more shocked than anything else that someone would come right to the bottom of my garden and do this.

"They come down and take the heater and pump and took the plug out of the pool. Then the culprit returns 40 minutes later to dismantle the pool.

"They take the pool apart and throw it over the fence to the alleyway.

Noreen Crawford is offering a £1,000 reward after her swimming pool was stolen from her back garden in Leadgate, County Durham (Submitted)

"It has really affected us as a family, especially Michael, whose anxiety has hit the roof since the incident. Now when he is in bed and he hears a noise he comes running into my bed.

"The other day he went outside because he left his schoolbag in the car. Next thing he comes running in and is having a panic attack because he thought he could hear someone."

Sadly, police closed the case in a matter of days stating that the footage was not clear enough.

Michael Crawford, 10, has been left distraught after his swimming pool was stolen (Submitted)

Noreen said: "They said there was no facial recognition and that there was nothing else they could do.

"I have worked hard and been a law abiding citizen all my life. Then something like this happens and there is nothing the police can do. It's ridiculous."

Now, Noreen is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for stealing the family size swimming pool.

The former financial advisor said: "We have set up the reward because someone has got away with stealing something which means a lot to my grandson.

"We don't want the pool back. We just want to see justice for whoever has taken the pool. I don't know if they may have sold it on but someone out there will know something. If you have information then please call the police."

CCTV of a man in the back garden the night the pool was stolen in November (Submitted)

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: “The investigation was closed after all lines of inquiry had been followed, and unfortunately there was insufficient evidence to identify the culprit.

“In the event of new evidence coming to light, we encourage anybody with information to get in touch with us on 101, quoting reference number CRI00235657.”