Van filled with stolen tools found at car boot sale

A rural crime taskforce discovered a van containing "a large quantity" of stolen power tools at a car boot sale over the weekend.

Thames Valley Police's Rural Crime Taskforce found 215 items in a Luton van at the Kassam Stadium event in Oxford on Sunday.

Officers recorded and identified several of the tools as stolen, thanks to "meticulous recording of serial numbers by owners".

The force said a woman selling the tools had been arrested and was now under investigation.

The discovery was part of an attempt to crackdown on a series of crimes targeting arborists' tools across the region.

The officers said the recorded thefts dated as far back as 2018 and spanned police areas from West Mercia to London.

They said they had "engaged with local communities to gather intelligence and track down suspect vehicles", one of which had been recovered and preserved for forensic examination.

The force issued a reminder for people to mark their property "with a postcode or unique identifier and record serial numbers".

"Please consider trackers... they are getting a lot smaller and a lot cheaper nowadays," it added in a Facebook post.

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