6 hours Ago
After finding more than £2,500 worth of his power tools and batteries stolen from his Rayleigh property overnight, he is now urging others to improve their home’s security. “They took all of my battery-powered tools – it’s gutting,” said Luke. “My apprentice turned up on Friday morning and texted to say that my van was unlocked, and when we started looking inside, I realised that all of my power tools had been taken.
“There was no damage at all to the van, so the only explanation is that they cloned the fob.” Luke’s van is a more modern, keyless vehicle, meaning the thieves likely cloned the key fob’s data to gain access to the cache of tools. While the incident has been reported to the police, the fed-up carpenter says he is doubtful the tools will be recovered.
“This is the third time in six years that I’ve had tools stolen from my van while it was parked on my driveway,” said Luke. “I’d parked in a slightly different place to make it easier for my wife to get out in the morning, and our CCTV didn’t quite reach that section of the drive.” Luke has now warned other residents and advised them to make sure that their property and vehicles are covered by working cameras.
The loss of his tools meant that Luke, who has done work for some of Essex’s best known celebrities, lost at least a day’s work and will have to replace his equipment. “The one upside is that since posting about it on Facebook, I have had a load of friends who are also in the trade reach out to offer me their spare tools,” said Luke. “It has really given me some faith in humanity.
” A spokesperson for Essex Police confirmed that the force was looking at into the incident and said: “We have received a report of theft of tools from a vehicle in Rayleigh overnight from the evening of Thursday April 24 to the morning of Friday April 25. “Our enquiries are ongoing.”.
