Charity van stripped and burned out by thieves
A CHARITY is reeling after thieves stole and destroyed one of the vans it relies on to collect stock for its shops across the city and county.
Age UK Leicestershire and Rutland found the burned-out Ford Transit Luton van in the city on Monday.
It had been stolen from the Enderby area over the weekend.
The vehicle’s engine was removed before it was set on fire.
The charity relies on the vehicle to collect bulky donations for sale in its shops. It has two others, but one of those is nearing the end of its working life.
The shops generate the money which enables it to provide services for elderly people.
It has appealed to the public for help either replacing the van or with raising funds to buy a new one.
It bought a similar, year-old van recently for £35,000.
Tony Donovan, executive director of Age UK Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said the vehicle was clearly branded with the charity’s logo.
Mr Donovan said: “They would have been in no doubt whose vehicle they were taking.
“The cost to us is huge. We rely on this vehicle to collect items which people want to donate to us.
“These vans service our 24 shops. Getting stock to them is very important for us, so losing this vehicle is a real set-back for us.
“Everything we generate through our shops goes back into our services. Whoever took it didn’t realise we had a tracker in it.
“So, when we realised it had been stolen we were able to trace it.
“We went there with a certain amount of trepidation. Not only had they stripped everything out of it, which we’d anticipated, they’d also burned it out. It’s just a shell.”
The vehicle was stolen from Warren Park Way, in Enderby, and was found in the Thurcaston Road area, between Mowmacre and Beaumont Leys.
The theft has been reported to police.
You can contact Age UK Leicestershire and Rutland on 0116 299 2233.