THIEVES have stolen thousands of pounds worth of tools and equipment after breaking into a dozen different works vans in Jedburgh.

Overnight from Sunday into Monday, the Ford Transit vans in Howden Drive, Howden Road, Howden Crescent, Lothian Road, Howdenburn Road and Howdenburn Court areas were all broken into.

Officers were called at around 1am to the Howden Road area where two men were seen to be acting suspiciously around vehicles.

Following inquiries in the surrounding area and reports from the public, a total of 12 vehicles are reported to have been entered and items stolen.

Detective Sergeant Callum Peoples from Galashiels CID said: “We believe those responsible have arrived in the area in a dark coloured vehicle, possible between the hours of 1am and 2am on Monday.

“We’d urge anyone who may have CCTV covering their property, or anyone who may have driven through the area and be filming via dash cam, to check their systems for any suspicious activity captured overnight last night.

“The public are reminded to ensure vehicles are securely locked and, where possible, items of value are removed from vans and kept secure elsewhere. Our recommendation is always to mark tools so that they can be identified should they be stolen.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Galashiels CID via 101, quoting incident number 0126 of January 14, or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.