POLICE officers arrived at a Worcester depot over reports of company vehicles being stolen on the day of an urgent 'all staff' meeting to quash 'rumours' circulating at the drainage firm.
During the incident, a police car on blue lights could be seen parked inside the gates of Colus Limited in Blackpole Trading Estate East in Worcester with staff gathered in the yard outside.
Police say although the vehicles had been reported stolen, they had since been returned to the depot and no further action would be taken.
Meanwhile, a black car with two security guards inside was also at one stage parked across the entrance to the depot, controlling access to the site.
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "We were called to a commercial unit on Blackpole Road in Worcester around 10.40 this morning following a report of a theft of vehicles. The vehicles were later returned and no police action was required."
RECOMMENDED READING: Police presence in Blackpole Trading Estate East
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The Worcester News understands that a meeting was called at 9am on Friday morning at the Worcester depot of the company, which has a head office based in Weston, designed to address rumours within the company.
The memo, sent out to staff on Thursday, reads: "The meeting will address some recent developments and we want to ensure open communication across the company. Your attendance at this meeting is crucial, as the information shared will be of the utmost importance to you and the business."
The email also states: "It's essential to note that the purpose of this meeting is to address recent rumours and provide accurate information. We understand that the memo may raise questions and concerns, and we are committed to addressing them transparently during the Q&A session tomorrow."
Staff at the depot said Colus employed just under 100 people. The firm supplies drainage engineers involved in 'patching and lining'.
A drainage engineer on site said they carried out work on behalf of Severn Trent Water including work with CCTV, repairs and high pressure water jetting.
We have approached both Colus and Severn Trent for comment and have also put some of the comments made to us by staff to Colus. Calls were made to their head office and the Worcester depot but we could get no answer. We also sent a written message via the online Contact Form.
We reported in 2021 how drainage and sewer company Colus moved into a new unit at Blackpole Trading Estate, creating 18 new jobs in the process.
Colus has moved from a smaller warehouse on the industrial estate to its new 25,377 sq. ft. unit to cater for this growth and future-proof the business for the next 10 years.
Simon Aylott-Cleaver, managing director of Colus, said at the time: “The move to our new unit is to support the expansion of the company.
“We are a specialist firm and have been growing the business as well as our highly-skilled workforce over the past three months, and our new unit will enable us to put a long-term plan in place to continue this.
“Location is extremely important to us, and Blackpole Trading Estate has fantastic motorway links which is essential in our sector."
The company signed a 10-year lease on the site through property consultancy Fisher German alongside JLL.
Colus specialises in drainage and sewer repairs as well as emergency maintenance, civil engineering and pipe replacement, with one of its biggest clients being Severn Trent.
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