Residents of Becks in Central Otago are furious a water tank used for fighting fires has been stolen during the Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown period.
New White Horse hotel publican Karen George said a neighbour noticed the tank was missing from behind the historic Old White Horse hotel on Sunday night.
"It was not visible from the road and so someone had to know it was there.
"We think it might have been stolen to order."
Mrs George speculated the tank would have had to be drained, and said it probably would have needed two or three people to load it on to a trailer as it was 1.9m high.
Senior Constable Darren Cox, of Omakau police, described Becks as quite isolated.
He said it was "a very unusual thing to take".
"A water tank travelling on the back of a trailer is going to look out of place, so I am hoping someone saw it," Snr Const Fox said.
Mrs George said the tank was put in at the request of the then New Zealand Fire Service in 2004.
It would cost about $3000 to replace and the village would have to fundraise to pay for it, she said.
