A lorry carrying more than 41,000 bottles of Irn-Bru has been stolen from a depot in Cumbernauld. The bright orange vehicle, laden with 22 tonnes of Irn-Bru, was taken from one of the soft drinks manufacturer's partner sites on Little Drum Road during the evening of Sunday, 27 September.
Theft and Investigation
The lorry was subsequently captured on CCTV travelling south of the border and has been spotted in Cumbria. Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the theft.
The soft drinks manufacturer says the haul taken by the "Bru-bandits" was valued at £30,000. The stolen load comprised 26 pallets of 500ml bottles of Regular and Zero, totalling 41,184 bottles.
Irn-Bru's Response
The theft comes as Irn-Bru has been marking iconic advertisements for its 125th anniversary, including the legendary Electric Lady, which features a gran ram-raiding a newsagent on a mobility scooter to secure cans. Irn-Bru bosses insist that initial evidence suggests this was not an elderly woman on a mobility scooter.
Irn-Bru have dubbed it the "Great Girder Mystery" and urged people to watch out for unexplained quantities of ginger appearing across the country.
Kenny Nicholson, Brand Director at IRN-BRU, said: "It was an interesting decision by the robbers, it's not like a bright coloured IRN-BRU truck is easy to hide. We think they've forgotten just how recognised IRN-BRU is - even in England.
"We appreciate their great taste but it's really not on, we hope they are caught 'orange handed' soon, with Police Scotland's finest on the case.
"The next line of enquiry must be 'where the truck do you hide 41,000 bottles of BRU?' If you have spotted anything suspicious, anyone with an unusually high stock of BRU, please get in touch with Police Scotland."
Police Appeal
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Enquiries are ongoing into the reported theft of a trailer, containing pallets of soft drink bottles, from a premises on Little Drum Road, Cumbernauld, which happened shortly before 6pm on Sunday, 27 September, 2026.
"Anyone with information should report this to us via 101, quoting reference number 1461 of 28 September 2026."
