Victoria floods: Echuca looters steal sandbags item as towns work to keep waters at bay

Looters have turned their attention to stealing sandbags as Victorian residents desperately try to stop rising waters from seeping into their homes.

There have been several reports of looting in affected areas, and the Channel Nine Today Show weatherman even spotted a group of men searching a family home in northern Melbourne while he was on the air.

But looters also seem to have turned their attention to free stuff – with an Echuca resident revealing that hundreds of sandbags had been removed from outside a house in the flood-ravaged town on the NSW-Victoria border on Monday night.

“My cousin evacuated her home in Echuca to her daughter’s over the weekend. Her son and his mates sandbags into the house. Someone took the 300 sandbags last night,” the woman named Abby posted on Twitter.

‘What the real f**k. It’s a filthy old house and probably an exercise in futility, but come on.’

ABC later spoke to the owner – Echuca local Sheena Lewis – who revealed that the community had united after hearing the looting story.

“I feel so helpless because I’m so far away and have no control over what happens there,” said Mrs. Lewis.

“I lived through the flood of ’93 and I couldn’t believe that the community was helping, but these people are doing everything they can.”

Dozens of volunteers came to Mrs. Lewis’s house on Tuesday to sandbag it again, before the Murray River was expected to reach its peak on Wednesday.

The theft of sandbags was the latest example of people taking advantage of flood victims.

Today, weather host Tim Davies caught a group of men looting a house Monday morning while reporting from Maribyrnong in northern Melbourne on Monday morning after the river overflowed its banks.

An Echuca resident revealed hundreds of bags were removed overnight from outside a home in the destroyed regional town (Photo: Locals delivering bags in Shepparton)

Nine’s camera crew was filming outside a property when a group of men suspiciously appeared from an evacuated house, before fleeing in a four-wheel drive.

Davies called triple-zero, while Victoria Police officers arrived a short time later.

Victoria Police confirmed that the men searched the house and stole iPads, bicycles and other valuables.

“Obviously these guys aren’t planning well, they couldn’t get out of here fast enough,” he told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon.

“Sick to see people doing that sort of thing here on the streets of Melbourne early this morning with these residents who are already going through so much.”

The house belongs to a man named Darren and his wife, who celebrated her birthday the day they vacated their house. The couple also has two children.

They lived upstairs to escape the flooding on the lower floor, but had to leave their home the night before to escape the rising water.

Nine reported that the man searched the entire top floor and stole a number of electrical appliances, children’s toys and other items.

Police said the men dropped a bag containing valuable family items, including photographs, probably when they were disturbed by the camera crew.

Stefanovic described the looters as “absolute bastards.”

“People are at their lowest point and people think it’s a time to come in and out. I hope they catch them and lock them up,” he said.

The Today weatherman called triple-zero, as Victoria police officers promptly arrived. They found that the men had searched the house and stolen iPads, bicycles and other valuables

Victoria is set to be plagued by more rain this week after thousands of residents have already been forced to flee their homes due to unprecedented flooding.

Prime Minister Dan Andrews urged Victorians to be ready.

“More rain is on the way towards the end of the week, especially in northern Victoria,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“Then the water will rise and flood again, possibly no higher than the peaks we saw this weekend, but still very big challenges.”

It comes as several towns in northern Victoria continue to build sandbag walls as the Murray River rises, peaking as of Wednesday.

Evacuation warnings are in place for people in Echuca and other towns along the river.

Emergency services fear that river levels could exceed 94.77 meters during the 1993 floods in Echuca.

More than 1,000 Echuca properties were already inundated with flooding on Sunday after the Campaspe River overflowed its banks.