AN APPRENTICE was left devastated after thieves broke into his van and stole the tools he uses to provide for his family.

Richard Sale was studying for his plumbing apprenticeship at City of Oxford College’s Blackbird Leys site last Monday morning when two men entered his van and stole £1,200 worth of tools.

The dad-of-two, who is nearing the end of his course, has now warned others about the danger of being complacent.

He has had to borrow cash from his mother-in-law just so he can hold onto his livelihood.

The 32-year-old, who lives with his family near Abingdon, said: “It makes my blood boil. It’s basically like stealing food out of my kids’ mouths.

“Three years I have spent acquiring these tools and they’ve just gone in the blink of an eye.

“I really think this needs to be highlighted. There’s a lot of this kind of crime going on at the moment.”

Oxford Mail:

Mr Sale was at the college last Monday when he went to get something out of his van during a break and discovered his tools were gone.

After talking to the college security guards, who had CCTV footage, Mr Sale learned that two men had entered the car park in a Ford Transit Connect van and tried to get into a number of vehicles.

They appeared to open Mr Sale’s Peugeot Bipper using a manipulated electronic key – there was no sign of anybody forcing the door.

His vehicle is understood to the only one the thieves were successful in raiding.

The security guards on the site also told Mr Sale that crime in the car park was incredibly rare.

Mr Sale, who spends four days of the week on a building site in Thame as part of his apprenticeship, said he did not have insurance because he did not expect to be targeted.

He said: “I think this needs to be highlighted because there is a lot of this going on at the minute.

“You just don’t expect it to happen, and you can be a bit complacent about it. It’s certainly made me think twice about parking my van there.

“It’s no different from somebody’s house - it’s still somebody’s personal space - but it will be treated differently because it’s a van.”

Police told the Oxford Mail that they were aware of the incident and that CCTV was being acquired to assist the investigation.

The van driven by the alleged thieves is a white Ford Transit Connect with a black bumper and distinctive alloys.

Its partial registration plate is ND07Y**. 

Anybody with any information is urged to call the force on 101.