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A Dannevirke woman thought the theft of her underwear from her washing line would be a brief setback for her — until it happened again, and again, and again.
Paige Lanigan says she’s now been replacing her undergarments — including knickers, socks and bras — for more than a year and can’t work out why it’s still happening.
“Is it someone that is intoxicated, or someone that’s playing a very awful prank?”
She suspects a thief has been taking the items at night, while she sleeps just metres away in her home.
She started to notice the night-time thefts from her line at her home last year, and initially thought it was a homeless person in need of clothing.
Paige Lanigan initially thought it was a homeless person needing clothes who was stealing her underwear — but she can't work out why it's continuing. Photo / Michaela Gower
However, her theory had a hole — in the four years she’s lived in Dannevirke, she had not seen a homeless person.
Lanigan lives with her cat and dog and said she had begun to use a laundromat and pay to do her washing rather than do it at home, but sometimes that was less practical.
“The few times that I have hung out my washing, I will go out to bring it in and the pegs will still be on the line, but the underwear are not.”
Lanigan, who works as an on-call cleaner, said there was no pattern to the thief’s behaviour.
She also said the dog and wind couldn’t be blamed because there would be evidence left around the property.
The first time the theft occurred, the pegs were dumped over the lawn. On other occasions, the pegs were left on the washing line.
In each instance only one element was the same — her underwear was missing.
Lanigan had reached out to the non-emergency police number, but was told there was little police could do with no evidence, and suggested she installed cameras.
Paige Lanigan said she didn't understand why someone would target her and her washing. Photo / Michaela Gower
Lanigan said she had bought more than 20 pairs of undies since it started, and the cost was starting to hurt.
“The only ones the person has not stolen is my spandex because they look like boys’ jockeys.”
To combat the problem she has started to strategically place her washing on the line.
“I’ve now started putting underwear in between things — so I will do a T-shirt, a pair of underwear, pants, something and then there will be a gap if it’s missing — there is usually a gap.”
A Dannevirke police spokesperson said they encouraged people to report things such as small thefts from washing lines because it helped them look at “patterns of behaviour”.
“If there are patterns around when things are happening, we can always do extra patrolling.”
The police spokesperson said people could also take preventive measures such as installing CCTV cameras, outdoor lights, and alarm systems.
For now, Lanigan hopes her persistence to hang her washing on the line will outlast the efforts of the undie stealer.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
