THOUSANDS of pounds worth of tools have been stolen from vans in Salisbury.

About £4,000 worth of tools were stolen from a parked van in Melvin Close overnight on April 12 to 13. Items included a Makita 240 drill, Dewalt 18v drill, Dewalt laser level, Makita batteries and a plasterboard fixer amongst many other tools.

Between 8am and midnight on Saturday, April 22 a van parked in Westbourne Close was targeted. The offender(s) took a large amount of power tools estimated at more than £3,500 including jigsaws, combi drill, circular saw, hammer drill and battery chargers.

A further incident happened overnight on April 21 to 22 in which a van parked in Devizes Road was targeted. A large amount of power tools and a Makita fabric tool bag were stolen.

A fourth theft happened between 8.30am on April 21 and 10am on April 23. A van in Barrington Road was forced open and power tools valued at about £3,000 were taken. All the tools were Dewalt or Bosch and included drills and plumbing equipment.

PC Matt Cable said: "These offences will have had a massive impact on the victims who rely on their tools for their trade. We are keeping an open mind as to whether all the offences are linked but we would appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

"The main advice is not to leave anything of value in your vehicle, we understand it is difficult for those using a van for business but we advise everyone to remove and securely store tools especially overnight when a vehicle is more vulnerable to thieves. Also, make sure all tools are security marked so we can return them to their owner if recovered.

"If you have been offered power tools for sale or have seen them offered for sale online please let us know. If you saw anyone acting suspiciously in any of the areas please call us so we can identify those responsible and prevent this from happening to others."

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Matt Cable or PC Sharon Duggan at Bourne Hill Police Station on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 where details may be left anonymously if preferred.