Early hours Boxing Day raid

FORFAR businesses hope bungling thieves have left behind vital CCTV clues which could lead police to Boxing Day crooks.

A string of town businesses were targeted in the early hours of Sunday.

The gang made off with thousands of pounds and a Ford Ranger pick-up in the Orchardbank Industrial Estate raid.

But they left behind CCTV server units ripped from a coach firm’s desk showing the suspects’ vehicle arriving on the scene shortly before 1am on Sunday morning.

Footage from a gym – which appears to show two of the thieves stopping for a cuddle mid-raid – was also saved.

Recordings show at least four people entering the garage at JP Coaches.

The firm’s CCTV shows the suspects’ vehicle – possibly a white SUV such as an Audi Q3 or Q5 – turning into the Gordon Park units opposite.

The gang spent around 20 minutes trawling businesses there and then tried the main gate of the coach yard before ripping up metal fencing and crawling underneath.

Jason Rodger of the firm said: “Once they were in the yard they tried the main door, but maybe they saw that had an alarm, so they’ve then gone to the garage door and forced it open.

“We’ve got two CCTV boxes in the office and they’ve ripped them out.

“They’ve then gone to the safe and pulled it clean off the wall.”

It contained a four-figure sum.

Jason added: “But when they’ve been taking the safe they set the CCTV boxes down and forgot to pick them up.

“I just had to get another cable, plug them back in and we’ve been able to hand over all the footage to police.”

It shows the hooded group in the yard and breaking into the garage.

Jason added: “They took our Ford Ranger, registration BU59 BOS, but we believe it’s been picked up on cameras in Dundee and then at Longforgan.”