A MINIBUS belonging to the Bordon Air Cadets was stolen on Saturday evening – and then found gutted by fire only hours later in Yateley.

Leaders of the cadet group had no idea the vehicle had been stolen until police officers turned up at the door of a committee member’s house, informing them the minibus had been found, albeit reduced to a charred shell.

Firefighters from Yateley Fire Station were called to woods off Minley Road, near the A30 on Saturday evening (January 23) at 11.30pm, where the bus was found “well alight”. Firefighters later confirmed it was “100 per cent destroyed”.

Dan Allsebrook, commanding officer for the cadet group, said: “We didn’t even know it had been stolen.

“It was found burnt out, but it had its engine stripped out as well – stripped out completely of all its bits and pieces.

“It wasn’t kids, it was definitely a professional job.”

The group have now set up a JustGiving page – with a target of raising £5,000 to help towards the cost of a new van, which Mr Allsebrook said insurance would not cover completely. He said: “It’s a 13-year-old bus, and it will be nowhere near as much as we need to get a new one.

“It’s a massive loss to the squadron. Since I’ve been with the squadron, that bus has been there – I’ve been driving it for years.”

With around 30 members, the squadron have now received an outpouring of support on social media, with many condemning the theft and destruction of the van.

One person commented on a post: “What’s wrong with people? Haven’t the last ten months been enough?”

Another added: “That’s awful! So sorry this has happened. I don’t know what is wrong with some people.”

Dan said: “We were very supportive of the local community and did a lot of major events throughout the years.

“The minibus has been a major part of doing that, because if you now can’t get the kids there, you have to wait for the parents to provide the transport, and that puts parents out of time.”

A former member of the air force, Mr Allsebrook joined the squadron in 2012, and became commanding officer in 2018.

On the public response, he said: “Everyone’s trying to do whatever they can.

“I’ve got parents ringing me left, right and centre giving me ideas on how to do things and where to get money from, councillors ringing me asking if they can help – it’s amazing how the community can come together.”

A target for £5,000 has been set on the squadron’s JustGiving page, with more than £1,100 already raised by 27 supporters at the time the Herald went to press.

To donate to the squadron’s fundraising bid, visit https://tinyurl.com/y4jjyf46