Rushden escape rooms boss annoyed at £1,000 repair bill after police 'cannabis raid' which found nothing

Staff at a Rushden escape room venue have been left ‘annoyed’ and ‘disappointed’ after police smashed their way into the premises thinking they might find a cannabis factory.

The impending raid of ESC Rushden on Thursday morning was witnessed by a Newton Road neighbour, who phoned the escape rooms’ manager, and told the police she was on her way.

But before she got there officers smashed the locks on protective shutters before using a battering ram to smash a front door.

They then proceeded to cut padlocks and bolts designed for game players in each of the four escape zones.

Manager Ruth Curtis said: “We were at home in Wellingborough when I got a phone call from our neighbour in Newton Road. He said the police have surrounded your building.”

As her daughter Leigha lives nearer, Ms Curtis got her to drive to the premises with a set of keys, but claims she was told it was too late.

Ms Curtis said: “She said ‘I’ve got the keys’ and they just smashed it saying ‘we haven’t got time’. She could see that they had their big ‘red key’. I arrived about five minutes later.

“When they had finished, we asked ‘what about the damage?’ and they said ‘that’s on you – we’ve not found anything’. We found out this morning they broke almost every door but they didn’t check the loft – we could have had a cannabis factory up there – we don’t, but they didn’t even check."

As well as lost bookings, it is estimated £1,000 of damage has been caused to shutters, doors and locks vital to the games complex that have had to be replaced.

Ms Curtis said: “I’m really annoyed. We’re struggling to get back after the effect of Covid and then the cost of living crisis now suddenly we’re hit with a repair bill.

"I’m very disappointed in the county police force. They did nothing to check that we are legit business. They went on the word of one person who said it was an abandoned building.

"We’ve blacked out the windows to make it an immersive experience as possible. They could have phoned our number – it’s above the door. They said it was because we have hoses coming out of the windows but they are from portable air conditioning units.

"They could have booked a room for two undercover officers – it would have only cost them £40 for two and they could have had a ‘Blue Light’ discount of 15 per cent.

"I’m trying to joke about it online but we are really struggling. I would ask people to please come and support us. We have four amazing experiences.”

A spokesman for Northants Police, confirming nothing was found in the raid, said: “This warrant was executed yesterday morning at about 9am in Newton Road, Rushden.

“As the method of entry is subject to a formal complaint, I am unable to comment further until that investigation has concluded.”

The escape rooms are one hour, live-action games for teams to solve puzzles, find clues, and unlock the secrets of the room before the time runs out.

https://escrushden.co.uk/