A Hamilton honeydew heist has sucked the juice out of the new year for area melon fans.

Police say thieves busted through a fence in a rented parking compound on Barton Street East on New Year's Eve and drove away with an estimated $60,000 in melons.

The theft likely occurred between 4 and 9:30 p.m. The misappropriated melons were destined for grocery stores between here and the GTA.

Police didn't know Friday how many honeydews were pinched, but a typical large, green-fleshed melon can sell from anywhere between $4 and $6 in the supermarket.

That suggests the 16-metre truck trailer could have been carrying between 10,000 and 15,000 melons.