Cheese rolls as suspects flee

A pair of suspected train robbers flung 160 kilograms of stolen cheese out of a moving car while escaping, police say.

A man, 21, and a woman, 23, have been charged with burglary and receiving stolen goods after several blocks of cheese were taken from an overnight freight train yesterday morning.

A rail worker saw several people loading boxes into a car near railway lines at Kakariki, in northern Manawatu, just after 7am.

The group drove off when he approached them, so he contacted police and followed the car, only to watch them throw eight boxes of cheese, each weighing 20 kilograms, out the window.

"He said it was like something out of a TV show because they started chucking the boxes out the window as they were driving along," Senior Constable Chris Craig said.

Police are trying to ascertain how the alleged burglary happened.

"The fact that the boxes were seen being loaded some six hours after the train would have passed through the area suggests the cheese may have been moved or stashed for later collection," Constable John Green said.

"Staff at KiwiRail are being of great help to us in establishing the exact movements of the train and where it might have stopped long enough for the theft to occur."

The train was travelling between Palmerston North and Auckland, and would have travelled through Kakariki about 1am.

A further four boxes of cheese, which police believe could have been unsecured by the thieves during the robbery, were found further up the line near Marton.

KiwiRail spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said the company was working with police and would be reviewing its security.

"We're naturally concerned about any act that involves breaking into carriages and theft of goods."

Police want to hear from anyone who saw the alleged theft or has information about two other people seen loading boxes into the car.

They are also interested in tracking down any more missing cheese, which they said would be easily identifiable by the amount of road grit found in it when eaten.

A Marton woman has been charged with burglary, receiving stolen goods, possession of a class A and B drug and possession of drug utensils.

A Hunterville man has been charged with burglary, receiving stolen goods, possession of a class B drug and permitting a vehicle to be used for an offence against the Misuse of Drugs Act.