Carjackers in Â£50k haul at paintball site

Steve Bull and Tracy Andrew with guns similar to the ones which were stolen

A woman was shoved out of a van as she tried to stop robbers speeding off with her vehicle and Â£50,000 of paintballing equipment

Tracy Andrew, who manages the site of Paintball Experience Ltd, was shutting the centre, just off Haigh Lane, for the day on March 23 at around 3.45pm.

She briefly left the van, which had 80 paintball guns, 16 laser tag guns and her handbag with iPhone and Kindle inside, outside the site while she locked the gates.

As she was pulling the gate shut, she heard the van engine start and saw that man had climbed inside.

Tracy said: “I went with my gut instinct and ran back to the van and shouted at him and tried to get him out.

“He seemed a bit taken aback at first but then he pushed me out .

“I grabbed on to the door again but that is when he sped off so I was forced to let go for fear of being dragged.

“It was an extremely scary experience.”

Two passers by came to Tracy’s aid and contacted the police as well as Steve Bull, who owns the company.

Mr Bull said: “I am one of the calmest people around and I was in a mess to say the least. I have never in my life been so upset and angry.

“It has been a real shock to the system. My main worry was that Tracy was okay, which thankfully she was, but absolutely distraught and very shaken.”

Mr Bull says he thinks there were two men involved in the theft.

The equipment stolen was enough kit for 80 to 100 customers and Tracy said the company is now running at a reduced capacity at its Wakefield site. The van stolen was a navy blue Peugeot boxer long wheel base.

Anyone with any information should contact police on 101.