A spate of thefts of tools from vans has plagued Kingsbridge recently, with many vans showing no sign of a break in.

Neil Elliot had his van broken into on Thursday night. “I was in it at around 6.30pm, and then I came back out to it on Friday morning”, Neil said, “I pushed the fob button and it didn’t make a noise, which I thought was odd, so I opened the side door I realised everything was gone.”

Neil, who lives on Hawthorne Close, Kingsbridge, where he says the street lights are currently not working, leaving the road “pitch black”. He lost power tools worth around £3,000 overnight from Thursday, September 14, to Friday, September 15.

“They’re my personal tools, so its a pain, but we’re getting by. Luckily the company has other tools and the insurance is pending”, said Neil, who said the insurance probably won’t cover the full cost of the lost tools.

Neil said the police suspect the crimes are being committed with some kind of skeleton key, as many of the vans show no signs of a break in.

Matt Farleigh, who works for Norman Brooking Builders, also had his van broken into on Thursday night, also with no sign of forced entry.

“I locked it up outside the house and when I came back in the morning the door was slightly ajar”, Matt, who lives in Isigny Way, explained, “they took batteries, battery chargers and my tool bag, all worth around £300”.

When asked whether it was having an impact on jobs he was doing, Matt said: “Its an inconvenience, they were my tools so I will have to buy them again, which with a mortgage and everything is hard. Luckily I can borrow tools for the moment.”

Another two vehicles were broken into between Thursday and Saturday night.

Neil suspects the criminals might be using a device that clones keys. Apparently you can use something that picks up the immobiliser code that means your key ‘talks to’ your vehicle, meaning criminals can then use that to open vehicles without setting off alarms or breaking windows.

Sgt Dave Green, Kingsbridge Police, said: “Over the last few days we have received reports of six vehicles that have been broken into in Kingsbridge, where tools have been stolen. These fall into two clear groups.

“Three crimes took place on Thursday night, September 14, in Hawthorn Close and Isigny Road areas, and the other three took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, September 17, in Waterloo Place, Wallingford Road and Belle Cross Road.

“In most cases they involved the theft of expensive power tools from work vans. As well as the material cost of replacing these items and repairing damage to the vehicles, this clearly has a huge effect on someone’s livelihood, as without the tools of their trade the victims are unable to go to work.

“At this stage it is not clear how entry was gained to these vans, although in some cases a side sliding door was forced open.

“Kingsbridge Police appeal to anyone with information or who may have seen any suspicious activity to contact us on [email protected] quoting crime number CR/79221/17.

“We also encourage van owners to avoid leaving power tools and other valuable equipment in their vehicles overnight. If this is not possible, park the van in a well-lit area which is overlooked, and make sure it is locked securely and the alarm set.”