A HANDYMAN is furious with himself after a thief drove away with his van and tools when he turned his back for just 60 seconds.

Dean Cossey, 39, from Chalgrove, had finished work for the day and loaded the van afterworking on a staircase at a house in London Road, Headington, Oxford.

He spotted the owner of the house returning to the front door and, while leaving the engine running, went to show her the work he had done.

But within a minute, a thief had jumped into his £2,000 Citroen van and driven away with all his tools, worth about £3,000.

Mr Cossey said: “I left the keys in the ignition and got out.

“I quickly showed her the work then came out of the front door and the van was gone from the driveway.

“I was devastated. How could I be so stupid? I’ve lost my entire livelihood because I was an idiot.

“I thought it would be fine, as I would only be a minute. It turned out to be the worst minute of my life.”

Mr Cossey, a former mechanic, has been a self-employed handyman and gardener for the past two years.

Police believe someone may have seen the van being stolen as it was parked next to a bus stop near the Green Road roundabout.

The Citroen Relay van is white, with yellow and red reflective stripes on the back door and a yellow beacon on the roof. The registration number is Y506 OKU but the plates may have been changed, Mr Cossey said.

The stolen tools included drills, a lawnmower, painting kit, a satellite navigation system and a Blackberry mobile phone.

The van and tools are not covered by insurance, because the keys were in the ignition at the time of the theft.

Mr Cossey said: “I lost the keys, so I’ve had to change the locks to my front door at home.

“I didn’t even have any screwdrivers left to do it with. I’ve had to buy emergency tools, but I’m in limbo, because I don’t know if I will ever get my van back.

“I may have to take out a loan and start again. That’s all I can do.

“I’m not expecting the tools back but if I could find the van then that would be something.”

Pc Charlie Ellis, of Oxford’s auto crime unit, appealed for anyone who saw the theft or the van to call Thames Valley Police.

He said: “This is a despicable crime where the offender has taken the opportunity to steal this van as the victim was away from it for a short period of time.”

The theft happened on Thursday last week at about 5pm.

Anyone with information should call Oxford police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.