Darfield ram raid: Three arrested, ice creams and donation box stolen during dairy robbery

Ram-raiding teens hit a local Canterbury dairy, taking the very product it’s famous for and stealing a donation box.

Darfield Dairy was the latest business to be hit by an overnight raid as a car slammed into its entrance and three young people entered the store.

Police were alerted to the incident around 1.40am but by the time they arrived, the offenders had fled.

A short time later, all three were located in a second car and taken into custody.

It left the dairy’s owner, Errol Barnes picking up the pieces after learning from an alarm activation of the incident.

The damage done to the store’s entrance is substantial, both the roller doors and entrance have been left destroyed after being smashed by a car.

But the thieves didn’t end up walking away with much - they allegedly stole a small number of ice creams and a donation box for the blind.

Police were alerted to the incident around 1.40am, they received a report of the burglary. Photo / Google Maps

The donation box had roughly $40 inside. It’s not known how many ice creams were taken.

Darfield Dairy is locally famous for its ice creams, which were crowned the winner of Christchurch’s largest ice cream by The Hits back in 2020.

Barnes wouldn’t comment on how many locals will visit his store on a weekly basis but did note the store was known for its ice cream offerings.

“You just get brassed off,” he said reflecting on the ram raid, which was the first at his store.

“There’s lots of money that is in the damages, that’s the biggest concern. It’s the damage to the building as it takes so long to repair.”

It’s estimated repairs could cost up to $8000. Glaziers will be working on the entrance to secure it over the course of the day.

The three young people responsible for the ram raid will be referred to Youth Aid, police have confirmed.