An Irvine man has hit out at brazen thieves who stole his £400 hot tub just hours after he bought it.
Crooks made off the luxury item after gaining entry to a car in Sillars Meadow overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
It had been boxed up in the boot of the vehicle having been purchased in Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon.
Gutted owner Matthew Philip believes the culprits followed him all the way home before picking their moment to pounce.
He said: “They didn’t take my car or any of the tools I had in there, they were just interested in the hot tub.
“I think they’ve watched me come out of the shop and followed me home.
“It seems planned because you couldn’t see it inside the car.
“I’m lucky they didn’t steal my car but it’s still quite a blow.
“I hope one day karma comes and bites them on the backside and they realise what they’ve done.”
Matthew explained how the box was too heavy for him to carry inside on his own.
“It weighed bout 25-30kg”, he added.
“ I was waiting on my partner getting home to unload it but we decided to wait until the Sunday morning since she got home late.
“When I found out we we’d been robbed my heart just sank. There was a few swear words that morning.
“I know hot tubs are very difficult to get just now, the same model I bought is going for double the price online, and I’m worried for other people picking up their hot tubs and being targeted too.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “Police were called around 9.20am on Sunday, May 24, following the report of the theft of a hot tub from an address in Sillars Meadow, Irvine.
“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 0836.”
