A FAMILY have been left devastated after a van was stolen from their Rowley Regis drive in a spate of thefts over the weekend.

A number of Mercedes Sprinter vans have been reported stolen from addresses across Sandwell and Dudley, including one belonging to Alison and Darren Adey.

The pair were shocked to find their van, which they use as part of their Golden Gates and Shutters business, had gone from their Bell End house when they woke on Sunday morning.

“We locked it up as usual on Saturday night and put the keys on the coffee table in the house,” Alison told the News.

“My husband got up at about 8.30am to go to work on Sunday morning and said the van had gone.

“I didn’t believe him and thought he was joking, but he said, ‘no seriously, it’s gone’.

“We brought up the CCTV cameras and looked to find out when it was actually taken.

“Watching the footage made me feel totally sick. We’ve lost so much because of this. We are a small company and it’s going to affect our work.

“The total cost will be about £30,000 as the van had a lot of our tools in the back which are all gone too. It’s devastating.”

Footage from the family’s CCTV cameras showed a thief take less than a minute to break into the van, before disabling the alarm and driving it away, at about 1.40am.

Kidderminster Shuttle:

“It was gone in 60 seconds,” Alison said. “We couldn’t believe that it was so easy for them to steal it. They must be professionals.”

Alison, who is still waiting to hear from West Midlands Police following the incident, is warning other Sprinter owners to be aware of the thefts, after she claims seven others – all of which are 14 plates or younger – were stolen over the weekend.

Reports include two vans stolen on Friday morning (July 21) from Penncricket Lane, in Rowley Regis, and Uplands Road, in Dudley, as well as another pair of vans taken from Tat Bank Road in Oldbury on Sunday morning.

Another Sprinter was reportedly stolen from a Rowley Regis address half-an-hour after the Adey’s.

Alison added: “We’ve been speaking to people online and they have had their Sprinters stolen too. At least seven have been taken in the area.

“One man said his had a tracker on it, but they were able to disable it 10 minutes after it was taken.

“I believe that they are using some sort of devise which is widely available on the internet for around £250 onwards which disables alarm.

“I want to put a warning out to Mercedes Sprinter owners to make them aware this going on and to make sure their vans are as safe as they can be.

“For so many of the same types of van to be stolen in the one area cannot be a coincidence.”