A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been released on bail, following his arrest in connection to a recent spate of tool thefts in Devizes.

More than £10,000 worth of toolboxes, ladders and more were recovered by Devizes yesterday morning (September 12), and a man was arrested and held in Melksham on suspicion of burglary.

He has since been released so that police can continue their investigation.

Over the past month, a number of sheds and garages in the Rotherstone, Victoria Road and Waiblingen Way areas have been broken into and tools have been taken.

Insp Pete Foster said: “We have seen a spike in reports of this nature over the past few weeks, with a number of items stolen including power tools.

“Yesterday we arrested a man as part of our investigation and he has since been released on bail to allow us time to conduct further enquiries.

“We urgently need any residents who believe they have been targeted to contact us so we can complete our enquiries and understand the scale of the thefts that have been committed across the town.”

Police have named the following things as ways you can keep your tools safe in the meantime:

  • Clearly mark all your garden and power tools with your postcode
  • Register all serial numbers at the immobilise.com website
  • Make sure all doors are fitted with good quality locks or Solid Secure padlocks and kept locked
  • Secure hasps with coach bolts or anti-tamper screws
  • Photograph valuable and unusual garden ornaments and keep these in a secure place

If you have any information about offenders or see something suspicious, call us on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency dial 999