Police appeal for leads as phones stolen at Creamfields appear at same address in London

Cheshire Police have claimed that they've "exhausted" lines of enquiry into a string of phone thefts at this year's Creamfields Festival, despite victims having traced their stolen devices to the same address in London.

In a report from the ECHO, several attendees reported having their phones stolen during Creamfields North, which took place in Warrington, Cheshire, across August 27 - 30.

When they logged into Apple's Find My app to track their devices, all appeared to "ping" at the same address in Barking, East London. Victims then realised the thefts may have been connected when they read the experiences of other festivalgoers on the Creamfields Community Facebook group.

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Despite users having tracked their phones to the address, many report that they were informed by Cheshire Police that the force are unable to recover the devices.

Earlier today (September 2), Facebook user Jo Graham shared a screenshot of her phone appearing to be at the same address, along with a letter from Cheshire Police that reads: "We have undertaken an assessment of your crime and unfortunately based on the information currently available, it is unlikely we'll be able to solve your crime".

In a statement shared with MyLondon yesterday (September 1), Cheshire Police said: "A number of enquiries have been carried out, including working with colleagues in Manchester and London."

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"At this time, all lines of enquiry have been exhausted, however if anyone has any new information, they are urged to get in touch," it continues.

Cheshire Police have said they do not believe the thefts are connected to organised crime, with a spokesperson telling the ECHO on Friday (August 29): "As with all large events, we receive reports of lost or suspected stolen property, including mobile phones". 

"At this time, there is no indication that organised crime gangs were involved in the theft of any property at Creamfields," the statement continues. 

[Via: ECHO]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter