CHIPPENHAM NEWS: AN exclusive north Wiltshire hotel has been struck by a spate of thefts. The 14th century Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe, where rooms cost more than £100 a night, is surrounded by 365 acres of parkland and a golf course.

It is described on its website as a "haven of peace and calm" but over the past months a series of thefts have taken place, with cash, cameras and camcorders going missing.

Pc Dave Budd from Chipp-enham police said: "We are working with the hotel in connection with a number of offences which have taken place at the hotel. The hotel and the police are taking this matter very seriously."

He said items and money belonging to staff and guests at the hotel had been stolen and the problem has been ongoing since October, but there seems to be no pattern to the thefts. He said he was keeping an open mind about who may be responsible.

"It could be a guest, with each incident totally unrelated, but it could be a staff member or we could be looking at a local resident who knows his way around the hotel," he said.

He said hotels were often vulnerable to thieves.

"They can be easy targets. The better class of hotels do give a homely feel but it's important to stress that however relaxed that you feel in a hotel you must still be on your guard and you are still ultimately responsible for the safekeeping of your property."

General manager Paul Thompson said: "It doesn't matter whether you stay in the best hotel in the world or the worst hotel in the world, thefts are part and parcel of a general manager's life."

A 24-year-old member of staff, who did not want to be named, said he had been suspended after the most recent theft, along with a fellow employee.

He said: "Before I arrived there were quite a few thefts and the police got involved.

"I started working there and realised there was a problem because at every function we had something would go missing."

The young man, who moved to the UK from abroad four years ago, said he felt he had been targeted unfairly and claims he has been the victim of discrimination.

"It has caused me a lot of embarrassment. I have lost the respect of my work colleagues," he said.

"I feel discriminated against. A lot of staff I am sure feel the same but they are afraid to speak up for themselves."

Mr Thompson said: "No member of staff has been suspended over theft."

He said he took pride in the diversity of his workforce and said about 79 per cent of his staff come from overseas.

"My professional level of conduct and standing in the industry would never be tarred by such a false accusation. It is simply not true," he said.