Cops issue warning after van theft spree
ANDREA LAMBROU
Cops are cracking down on thieves after a spate of highvalue white van thefts in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Eaglesham.
EK’s top cop says owners are “suffering” at the hands of crooks working under cover of darkness with NINE vans being stolen since the start of the year.
In Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire Inspector Bryan McGeogh told the News that officers are carrying out overnight road checks after two white vans were nicked then recovered in Ayrshire.
The latest incident saw nearly £1000 worth of tools being stolen from a Vauxhall van after it was broken into on Caithness Road in Brancumhall.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened overnight on Friday, to come forward.
Chief Inspector Lex Bailie said Lanarkshire had been “targeted” with a number of thefts of work vans, and the valuable tools and machinery kept in them, since the start of 2020.
He added: “The East Kilbride and Strathaven communities are suffering. Local officers are aware and focused patrols are being carried out in areas, such as industrial estates, which have been targeted.
“There will also be dedicated social media postings this weekend to raise awareness.
“Police Scotland would encourage all vehicle owners to check locks, remove any valuable from within and consider tracking equipment.”
Overnight into January 7, a white Citroen Berlingo van was stolen from Capelrig Drive, Calderwood, with around £2655 worth of tools within.
Further reports confirm that, between January 3 and 7, a white Transit van was broken into in the town’s Hurlawcrook Road. That resulted in the lock being damaged and the dashboard removed.
That follows the theft of three white Ford Transits from local industrial estates between January 2 and 5.
A white Ford Transit van was also stolen between January 3 and 6 on Eaglesham Road, with another taken from Hamilton Road Industrial Estate in Strathaven between January 1 and 6.
Around 10.40pm on January 5, at Glenfield Road, Kelvin Industrial Estate, thieves drove off in a grey Ford Connect, with 150 litres of diesel and a digging bucket stolen from a construction site on Jackton Road in January 4.
Cops recovered a silver Ford Transit in Blantyre after it was stolen from Windward Road, Westwood between December 20 and January 4.
Meanwhile, overnight into January 8 two white Ford Transit vans were stolen, firstly from Eaglesham’s Winton Avenue between 10pm and