After a recent spate of thefts from vans, one worker said the method thieves used to break has hit his business hard.
Peter - who didn't want his full name to be used - said thieves had broken into his work van parked outside his home on Hillfoot Avenue in Halewood on Thursday, July 8.
The items thieves managed to take from his van were not expensive, however, the method they use to get in could cost him up to £1,000 even before calculating the loss of business while his van is off the road.
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In their efforts to break in, thieves cut through the bodywork of the van to gain access to the wiring.
Once through the metal, they then cut the wiring that releases the door lock and disable the alarm.
Peter said: "They must know where the wiring is. Luckily we took all the hand tools and the heavy tools out of the van.
"But it's the damage they have done to get into the van that's the problem."
Peter said the cost of repairs to the van, which could include replacing the door entirely, is likely to cost over £1,000.
However, it's the also the loss of business that causes the biggest hit.
The damage to the wiring means the van can't be locked up and so remains off the road until the repairs are done. This has had a dire consequences on the business.
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Peter said: "Obviously we will be off work now until it's been fixed.
"But it's also letting people down. We had plenty of work on but the van being off the road has had a knock on effect.
"We can't get to people's houses to do jobs and so we lose money that way."
On the same morning Peter discovered his own van had been broken into, another van owner nearby posted a photo showing how thieves had accessed his vehicle using the same method.
Unfortunately, they also took expensive power tools inside the van with an estimated value of £2,000.
There were also several other reported van thefts the same morning in the Halewood and surrounding area.
Commenting on the thefts, Inspector Peter Rexwinkel from Merseyside Police said “This theft and all similar incidents cause massive inconvenience to those affected, people who are merely carrying out their daily business within our communities.
“If you were in the Halewood area on Wednesday night or the early hours of Thursday morning (July 8) and saw anything or anyone suspicious then please let us know as information that you hold could be vital to our enquiries.”
Anyone with any information on these incidents can contact Merseyside Police on – DM @MerpolCC on Twitter, message Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook quoting reference 313 of 08/07.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information
More information on keeping your vehicle safe can be found on the Merseyside Polie website here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/vehicle-safe-and-sound/
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