Stand by your Bedfords
Page 11
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Eugene Silke • South Yorkshire police have alerted owners of Bedford trucks to be on their guard following a spate of thefts.
More than 60 Bedford TKs and TLs have been stolen in the county so far this year, half of them from the Sheffield and Rotherham areas.
The thieves are well-organised and determined, sometimes targeting several trucks and returning for a second raid. Three operators within 150 yards have been hit, says a furious Peter Clarkson, managing director of Modular Scaffolding of Sheffield.
Eight weeks after a Bedford TK and TL were taken, thieves burnt through steel reinforcement on the depot gates to steal 17-tonner Bedford and Leyland trucks, both with Hiab cranes.
Nearby scrap metal merchant F&W Hetherington replaced a TK truck, stolen last November, with a TL model. This seven-tonne tipper was taken in March, says director John Cuckson.
One theory is that the trucks are stolen to order and go straight to Liverpool Docks.
Police suspected a gang was specialising in the re-sale of Bedford engines and parts, but no evidence of this has been uncovered. "It is very mysterious," says a spokesman for the Sheffield-based Stolen Vehicle Squad. Vehicles of various ages have been taken from a wide range of operators.
The police are using local radio, TV and press to publicise the threat, and have appealed for help with their enquiries.
Contact (0742) 768522, extn 8338 or Crimestoppers on (0800) 555111.