A NETHERTON forging company is counting the cost after thieves took metal prototypes worth £20,000.

The 1,200 stolen items are about the size of a CD and branded with a code 4U7. They were taken from Coparo Forging, Marriott Road, between Sunday May 4 and Tuesday May 6.

Police say the thief got onto the site through a perimeter fence and forced their way through a plastic window.

Sergeant Corrina Griffiths, from Dudley police, said: “We really need the public’s help in trying to identify who has taken these metal prototypes and where they have been taken.

“We think they may have been taken to a scrap yard in exchange of cash, but we can’t be sure.”

Anyone with information should contact Sgt Corrina Griffiths on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.