Thankfully I got missed out last night perhaps because of how I park my van, but two fellow van drivers on our street weren’t so lucky last night. Lived here 14 years this year and never had a hint of anything like this. Thankfully plumber over the road came to see me tonight for a heads up. I promptly removed my best bike which I keep in the van and it’s joined the other bike in the dining room. Mrs ws is over joyed! I’d so love to catch them at it…

Put the wife in the van. When they break into it, she can explain to them about the inconvenience that they are causing.

You don’t happen to live in Bristol do you? Things are pretty bad here at the moment!

My mate reckons its all to do with the price of scrap.
2 years ago you could fill an old transit flat bed with 1.5 tonnes of old washing machines/cookers etc and get £200+ a day.All legit, and easy work, just drive the streets and pick stuff up.
Now, the same load will be worth less than £50, so some of the people who did scrap collection have gone into the thieving business and find that vans contain tools, which can be sold on. I’ve no idea who buys it, as everyone I work with has pretty new legit kit.
Must be DIYers who buy it.

“I’ve no idea who buys it, as everyone I work with has pretty new legit kit.”

you must work on some pretty sheltered sites mate. my dad has had his own tools turn up on his jobs . smaller local stuff – with “cheaper” unknown subbies – read into that what you will…..

anyway wrightyson – willing to bet they knew what was in your van and it wasnt what they wanted.

You leave your best bike in a van, overnight.

😯

Sleep in the van for a few nights, won’t be too bad with a nice flask of the good stuff.

I once bought some kindling bags from a traveller, so now I’m seen as someone that’ll buy anything from them. :picard:

About twice a year a transit van will pull up filled with tools being sold cheap, local police are not too bothered when I call them.

I thought Belper was better than that! Meanwhile, over here near Ilkeston my GP had her shed broken into last week. Keeps the nice bikes elsewhere though.

Think you’ve been lucky. I quite like JoeG’s suggestion.

It is really frustrating.

We live in a spot that like you just does not have a problem with crime – and yet the last two weeks there has been a spate of break ins to houses, garages and sheds. One when the family were upstairs asleep, and 12 year old son came face to face with two burly scumbags when he went down to see what he noise was…

House opposite is being gutted and renovated. It was broken into the other week looking for tools. One builder had left his drill on site, which went. Luckily the main contractor takes all his stuff home with him every night, so lost nothing.

alanl – Member

My mate reckons its all to do with the price of scrap.
2 years ago you could fill an old transit flat bed with 1.5 tonnes of old washing machines/cookers etc and get £200+ a day.All legit, and easy work, just drive the streets and pick stuff up.
Now, the same load will be worth less than £50, so some of the people who did scrap collection have gone into the thieving business and find that vans contain tools, which can be sold on.
It’s got to do with the fact that the law fails to prioritise protecting ordinary people’s work tools and valuables from theft.

The great and good, liberal hand-wringing law makers have never grafted a day in their life and likely never thrown a leg over a bicycle or MXer in anger either. So they neither know nor care about these minor trivialities.

The police, as under-resourced as they are, know that even if they do find the culprits, and the CPS doesn’t bungle the case, the judges will generally only dish out a slap on the wrist to these bastards.

Interestingly, there have been a number of break ins to Ford Transit based vans locally, no forced entry and all the tools nicked. There is a suspicion that there is some sort of electronic device being used.

The police, as under-resourced as they are, know that even if they do find the culprits, and the CPS doesn’t bungle the case, the judges will generally only dish out a slap on the wrist to these bastards.

Police priorities have nothing to do with the possibly penalty, they are either set by the Home office or by the local Police and Crime Commissioner.

Had my transit robbed with no forced entry. They use a Tibbe lock pick which are available on the internet for about £30. You can even buy them on Amazon. Its not illegal to sell them, just to use them for criminal purposes. This will only disable the doors and alarms, not the immobiliser. will cost another £50 for that kit!!!
I have changed the barrel on my door to a different type to stop use of lock pick but I’m sure they’ll figure a way round that too.

while 14 million has been wasted by the met police in london, to protect julian assange from the americans, and now hes free to go.

while 14 million has been wasted by the met police in london, to protect julian assange from the americans, and now hes free to go.

Can’t blame the Police for that, it was on orders from the Home Office (probably at the request / order from the US State Department).

And the tibbe pick allows access to pretty much all Fords and Jaguars.

Get a RepLock or HiKey lock fitted to replace the standard Transit lock. Then fit an OBD protector to stop them connecting a laptop and stealing it.
Lots of visual deterrents will stop them wasting energy nicking your stuff or van. They will move on to the next one with less protection and thus easier to nick. It’s a crap situation but don’t make it easy for them.
We learnt this the hard way
🙁

Another “rumour/urbanmyth” is high pressure water jet into the lock causes the central locking to release as the van thinks it’s submerged. My bike is/was chained down in the van. It’s a damn sight more secure than a garden shed…

while 14 million has been wasted by the met police in london, to protect julian assange from the americans, and now hes free to go.

While theft from vans in the Midlands soars.

Broken Britain!

Was it not pikeys then?

We had our house rebuilt over the course of 12 months a year or two ago, we lived elsewhere while the work was done.

Burgled three times.

First time, Novemberish, builders had left nothing much in the house and so just lost small bits and pieces. However, the scummers had cleared out my daughter’s wendy house – plastic play cooker, picnic basket, plates bowls, plastic food… all gone. She took it well. I’d been standing in the garden talking to the builders about what they’d lost when she wandered over to say that her house was empty… “yes, dear” and then carry on talking. She persisted and then we worked it out. Again, she took it great and everybody in the village was excellent to her in commiserating and supporting.

Second time, builders had secured the house (windows in, doors in, roof on). Smashed their way in and took everything.

Third time, a month or three later, tried to get into the house and failed. Smashed their way into the garage (through a door which was to be bricked up as part of the build!) and stole my mower! Left all the bikes, thankfully – prob couldn’t see them under all the other rubbish I’d piled in there!

The builders (and plumber and electrician) complained like mad about the thefts, but equally, all bar the electrician had bought super cheap used gear off people who wandered into their pub, gear which they knew (v strongly suspected?) had been stolen…

Any tradesmen who buys dodgy gear deserves to get robbed.

You won’t get an argument from me about that. I was very surprised by their attitude – and their hypocrisy. Amazing.

You won’t get an argument from me about that. I was very surprised by their attitude – and their hypocrisy.

No argument, but I will drone on…

My bike is/was chained down in the van. It’s a damn sight more secure than a garden shed…

I’m pretty sure a would-be thief couldn’t tow your shed away to a quiet place where he could work on removing your locks…

Mmm I’m pretty sure vans don’t just get towed off people’s drives just to steal a bike 😯

Not sure about vans being towed for the bikes but my neighbour had his 2005 lifted on to a truck, ECU removed and car burnt out in the local woods. All in a quiet Bucks village.

Is it travellers on the move season or something? My pal had a nervous 24 hours when a group parked up in front of their house. Nothing untoward happened but I was surprised at the vitriol being expressed.

Mmm I’m pretty sure vans don’t just get towed off people’s drives just to steal a bike

All they have to do is, access the van, break the steering lock and push it down the street where they can work on getting your lock off without you hearing.

They’re pretty industrious folk when there’s a grand or two’s worth of bike/etc. there for the taking.

Makes no odds as the bike is safely indoors now but anything that can be wheeled away from your door with little effort isn’t the best of places to keep a treasured possession. 🙁

A friend of mine has just had a hired skip stolen from in front of her house!
I think that might might require a bit more effort than breaking a lock and shoving it down the road.