Irish link in the tipper thefts?
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• The recent spate of tipper thefts may be linked with the recent clampdown on Irish axle weights laws, claims Ian Cox, whose six-wheel Mercedes tipper was stolen on Thursday, February 19.
Cox has received several telephone calls from Irish tippers who want to buy secondhand tippers plated to British weights. Now he fears that Ireland may be a ready market for stolen vehicles.
Two similar Mercedes tippers were stolen from Sussex at the same time, and Cox believes this is not merely a coincidence.
The vehicle stolen from Cox's firm, J&W Tipper Hire, is a Mercedes 2421; its yellow cab is painted with a single white band. It was stolen between 9pm and 10pm on the night of February 19 and was last seen being driven towards Winchester.
The thieves apparently forced their way into the vehicle through a side window and hot-wired the starter motor system.
This is the second tipper to be stolen from J&W Tipper Hire. Two years ago a similar Mercedes aggregate tipper was stolen from the same yard at Fair Oak, near Eastleigh in Hampshire: no trace of that vehicle was ever found.