Brazen thieves have stolen 13 portable toilets in a late-evening raid at a depot in Oxfordshire, leaving a company £12,000 out of pocket.
Amy Philpot, the general manager of AndyLoos, said their depot on the Thorpe Way Industrial Estate in Banbury was broken into sometime between the evening of January 8 and the early morning of January 9. It is believed three vehicles were involved in the raid – with the third acting as a lookout.
CCTV footage released by the company shows two people stealing 12 Polyportables and one Five Peaks green plastic toilets. The company said the units had their stickers on, as well as their personalised soap and sanitiser dispensers inside. Chemical fuel and piping were also stolen from the depot.
AndyLoos said in an appeal on Facebook that the thieves, who wore hooded tops, used specialist trolleys to move the toilets around the depot and load them onto their vehicles. Miss Philpot told BBC Radio Oxford: “They’re not chancers. They’ve turned up, they knew what they were doing, they knew what they were going for.
“It’s a risk of the trade. We have plastic toilets out in vulnerable areas. They could be on people’s driveways or in fields and you do lose the odd one. But to have your yard broken into is a bit more unheard of.”
The company, based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, said the incident was “a massive inconvenience” and while they have insurance, the burglary has been “a big hit” for them. Miss Philpot added: “We’ve worked hard over the last 35 years and invest in our fleet and get toilets into depots.
“We haven’t got them sat there for someone to take away. But somebody thought they’d come and help themselves. It’s not good.”
AndyLoos wrote on Facebook: “If anyone has any information or dash cam footage of the trucks in the area around the time of the break in, spots our units being hired out by someone else, gets an offer to buy them cheap or even sees them in a questionable location please get in touch! We’d love to hear from anyone that might be able to help us track down the toilets and maybe the culprits too!”
The company said the loos “could be anywhere” as one of their drivers saw one “on the back of a dodgy-looking truck” which was heading south on the M40 near J7 on January 10. Thames Valley Police confirmed it has launched an investigation.
Now, officers are urging anyone with information to get in touch. The force said in a statement released on January 10: “Thames Valley Police is investigating a burglary in which a number of portaloos, chemical fuel and piping were stolen from a business property in Thorpe Way, Banbury.
“It was reported to the force yesterday morning (9 January) and occurred at some stage overnight between 8th January and yesterday. Anyone with any information or who believes they witnessed the incident is urged to contact 101, quoting reference 43250012480.”
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