National Motorcycle Museum hit by theft of 100 trophies Published duration 28 August 2014

image copyright NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM image caption All of the trophy cabinets were smashed

More than 100 trophies worth tens of thousands of pounds have been stolen from the National Motorcycle Museum.

Most of the museum's trophies were taken in the break-in at the site at Bickenhill, Solihull, at about 23:00 BST on Wednesday, it said.

Many were "unique and irreplaceable as part of this country's motorcycling heritage", the museum added.

It said it would offer a £20,000 award for information leading to the safe recovery of the artefacts.

'Can't sell'

Trophies from motorcycle racing, including from TT racing, were taken when the inner foyer was broken into.

All of the trophy cabinets were smashed, causing "substantial damage" to the displays. However, the site has opened as usual, the museum said.

image caption "Substantial damage" was caused, the museum said

image caption The museum has been open as usual

Museum director James Hewing said people would be unable to sell the items.

He said: "If you tried to sell them to a specialist or via one of the specialist auctioneers, everybody would know what they were.

"It would appear that it's been done.... for the value of the metal, of the silver.

"The stupid thing is of course a lot of them weren't silver. They're either silver plate or nickel."