SECURITY arrangements at a golf club have been slated by a party of players from Crewe who say they had nearly £6,000 worth of clubs stolen.

They angrily complained the clubs were taken from a locked minibus on the car park at Hill Valley Golf Club at Whitchurch.

But club chairman Albert Minshall claims the clubs weren't even stolen from the car park.

Sandbach man Robert Gee was one of a group of golfers who travelled in two minibuses from Crewe to Hill Valley a week last Sunday.

After finishing their rounds at 6pm, they put their clubs in the minibus which was locked and went inside for a meal. When they returned to the minibus at 7.30, six out of 10 sets of clubs had been stolen.

'Hill Valley were not interested in the slightest. They said we should have our own personal insurance,' said Mr Gee.

'The driver thought he was insured for goods in the minibus but it turned out that he was not insured for other people's items. A few of us are covered on our home insurance but some aren't.

'I would warn any golfers visiting Hill Valley that there is no secure place to leave your clubs. There are only lockers for members, not guests.'

He added that there are three CCTV cameras on the car parks but he believed they had not been switched on. Police have looked at the cameras but say there is no video footage of the thefts.

Hill Valley proprietor Mr Minshall said: 'The matter was not reported to us till the next day. I'm not sure they were taken from Hill Valley.

'I don't know where they were taken. All I do know is that we have lost no clubs here. You must look after your own things in this day and age.'

He added: 'The CCTV cameras were working as far as I am aware.'

PC Michael Keen, of Whitchurch Police Station, said: 'Until we can disprove that the theft happened at Hill Valley that is where we start the investigation.'