van-tools-stolen

A roofer has slammed thieves who stole his van filled with tools in an overnight raid.

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Matthew Farmer, owner of MF Roofing, said someone had made off with a Ford Transit which had been parked outside an employee’s house in Scone.

The young dad, who set up his company in 2012, said the number of thefts experienced by tradespeople in the area was increasing.

Friday’s incident follows a number of other high-value thefts in Tayside which have taken place in the last week.

On Wednesday, thieves stole thousands of pounds’ worth of power tools in raids on the new Regional Performance Centre for Sport at Caird Park and a city ironmonger.

Police have said the Scone and Dundee crimes are not related, although another Ford Transit was stolen from Perth during the same period.

Matthew said he felt like he had been “battered from every angle” and was forced to cancel a day of jobs while he tried to sort out the mess.

“I received a call from one of my employees on Friday morning to say the van he had parked on Thursday night was not there when he went to pick it up,” he said.

“Initially he thought it was a wind-up but it quickly turned out to be no laughing matter.

“He had tools worth about £1,000, plus the van itself which is valued at about £5,000.

“I’ve had to cancel my jobs to try to fix things with the police and the insurance company and obviously my employees weren’t able to get out to the jobs they were supposed to either.

“These people are ruining honest people’s livelihoods – I feel like I’ve been battered on all sides. It’s horrible.

“There has definitely been a rise in the number of tools being stolen in the area.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland said officers were investigating the theft of two Ford Transit vans from the Perth area.

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