3 days ago
Four vans ripped open like tin cans all parked in 'last place you would expect'
Skilled workers and their families were left devastated when thieves carried out an astonishing series of brazen raids in broad daylight. Thousands of pounds worth of tools were taken from four vans parked up at two golf clubs in northeast Wales.
Pictures show the thieves drilled out locks to gain entry. In at least one case, a hole was ripped in the side of a van as if a giant tin opener had been used.
North Wales Police is investigating the break-ins and has appealed for witnesses and video evidence. Three raids were reported at Wrexham Golf Club and another a short while later at Vale of Llangollen Golf Club on Saturday, May 31.
At Llangollen's car park, joiner Jason Jones returned from a round of golf to find two holes in his Ford Transit and its contents missing. He estimated 23 cordless tools, mostly expensive Makitas worth around £3,000, were stolen. Now lacking his van and tools, all planned work has been rescheduled, leaving him and his business, Marson Joinery, further out of pocket.
'So bloody angry,' said his partner online. 'Can't believe nobody saw this happening. I hope whoever did this is so proud of themselves, you are an absolute disgrace.'
CCTV footage from the club has been handed over to the police. The theft is thought to have happened between 1.20pm-1.45pm. Jason, from Wrexham, said: 'I really appreciate the way Llangollen Golf Club efficiently dealt with the situation once they had been made aware.'
It was a similar scenario at Wrexham Golf Club car park where three van owners were also left distraught the same day. One estimate put the combined haul here at £10,000. Again, it's thought high-value cordless tools were targeted before the thieves moved on to Llangollen.
One victim didn't discover the theft until he returned to his van at 5.30pm. All his battery powered tools were removed. Online, his partner said: 'We are fuming. Absolutely gutted! How the hell is he meant to work with no tools?'
Online photos of another van targeted at Wrexham shows a series of holes drilled to gain entry. It's estimated the Ford Transit custom van was broken into between 12.10pm-12.45pm.
Again, multiple tools were stolen, including brands such as Makita and Milwaukee, along with Megger testers for assessing insulation resistance. On social media, a woman said the losses ran into 'thousands and thousands of pounds'.
She fumed: 'These are people who know what they are doing. They drilled holes into the lock to gain access. This is the lads' livelihoods. They work hard and don't deserve this.
'The cost and implications of repairing the van alone is awful. What is wrong with people? Disgusting.'
Wrexham Golf Club said it was horrified by the raids, which took place at a tree-lined car park next to the clubhouse on what was a busy competition day.
A spokesperson said: 'It's very disappointing - we're all in a state of shock about what happened. This is the last place you would expect something like this to happen.
'We have CCTV and the police have taken what they need. They've been very helpful and their enquiries are ongoing. The course was very busy at the time - a competition was being held and there were a lot of people here.
'We've done our best to warn everyone. We've also contacted other golf clubs not yet targeted so they can contact their tradespeople.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
North Wales Police said its officers are investigating the thefts of 'several tools of high value' from four vans parked up at the two golf clubs early on Saturday afternoon, May 31.
A spokesperson said: 'Investigations into these incidents are ongoing. We would appeal for anyone who witnessed suspicious activity at these locations, or who may have any CCTV or dashcam footage of the golf club car parks over the weekend, to contact the police.'
Reports can be made by calling 101 or via the force's online chat service. For the Llangollen theft, callers should quote reference 25000447612. For the Wrexham thefts, the reference is 25000447199.
North Wales Police has published crime prevention advice for securing vehicles whilst not in use. This can be found here.
