FOUR milk vans have been stolen from a depot at Redbridge, South Oxford, police said.

Officers said the vans were stolen between 2am and 8am on Sunday from the Dairy Crest Ltd depot at Towles Mill.

Thieves broke in and stole keys to several milk vans before using one of the vans to ram security gates open to escape. The floats are all white Ford Transit vans with an image of a milk float on the back and a Dairy Crest logo reading “Milk and More” on the body.

One has been recovered from Colley Wood, Kennington, but three of the vehicles are still missing and there have been no arrests.

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Police said one of the stolen vans has been seen in the Blackbird Leys area.

Pc Stuart Mclaren said: “Patrols of the area were carried out today and the public should be reassured that we are doing everything we can to catch the culprits of this burglary.

“I would urge business owners to make sure their sites are secure, that they remain vigilant and that they report any suspicious activity to police.”

Police spokesman Tom Jennings said there was no CCTV footage available of the incident.

Dairy Crest spokeswoman Jennifer John said: “Dairy Crest are co-operating fully with Thames Valley Police, who have appealed for witnesses following the burglary.”

A staff member, who did not want to be named, said: “This is the second time the depot has been broken into in six months to steal vans.

“I have no idea why people are targeting the milk industry.”