Raided Scaffold Will Cost £10k To Replace (1 Viewer)

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A builder could be forced to pay out up to £10,000 after thieves broke into his yard and stole around five tonnes of scaffolding.

Alan Wood said the crime could not have come at a worse time as his family firm is struggling to cope with the devastating effects of the recession.

Mr Wood, who runs AJ Wood Ltd in Farnworth, believes the equipment was stolen to order as integral parts of the scaffolding were left behind, as though they were not needed.

He is now calling on the police to step up efforts to catch the culprits and to do more to help protect his business which was started by his father 50 years ago. Mr Wood, aged 45, said he had to lay off three workers when the recession hit but had been managing to keep his head above water. He said: “I felt lucky that we were ticking over. We weren’t doing any big jobs but we were doing repairs and it was paying the wages. I felt like we were doing quite well but then we got hit by this.”

The thieves struck at the business in Nelson Street in the early hours of Thursday, cutting padlocks off a rear gate to get access to the yard.

Mr Wood, who runs the company with his 68-year-old father Joseph, said the thieves only stole the bits that made up the length and width and not the connecting parts.

“I think it’s been stolen to order for someone who has this type of scaffolding. I have spoken to a couple of firms who have told me it will cost between £7,500 and £10,000 to replace,” said Mr Wood, whose insurance company is refusing to pay out.

Mr Wood, who now employs two builders and one part-time office worker, said he needed more help from the police.

He added: “Crime is terrible. You can’t put a thing down without it being stolen and I am getting no help.”

Sgt Steve Baldam, from the Bolton South neighbourhood policing team, said he had allocated an officer to investigate the theft and that they would be doing everything they could to bring the offenders to justice. “We will speak to Mr Wood about his concerns and will do all we can to investigate and catch the culprits as soon as possible.

“I will also see if there is anything else we can do to help in terms of crime prevention advice,” Sgt Baldam added.

Source: The Bolton News
 
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