Man threatened with hammer in Halifax tool theft

Craig Slattery, co-owner of family-run business Brian Slattery Plumbers, described how he managed to take back a number of valuable tools before the assailants made a getaway.

He said: "I was in the middle of doing a job for a customer and looked out of the window to see this car parked up against my van, with my van doors open.

"I came out and there was one lad throwing stuff into the back of his car. They saw me coming at them and they threw one tool box at me.

"One lad was still in the van and I started chasing him, so he turned on me with a hammer.

"He was screaming at me 'come on then, let's have it' and waving a hammer at me. I had to back off and let him go. You don't take on a bloke with a hammer do you?"

Craig lost hand tools totalling a worth of around £200 and managed to recover the more expensive power tools. He says theft of power tools is becoming a common occurrence.

"It's happening more and more. There were six or seven incidents like that in one day. It's a real issue for people like us."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Police were called to reports of theft from a motor vehicle on Trooper Lane, Halifax at around 12pm yesterday.

"Three suspects were reported to have been seen taking tools out of the victim’s vehicle and when the victim confronted the suspects, the suspects made threats towards the victim.

"The suspects, who were described as white with one wearing a blue baseball cap and one wearing a white baseball cap, then made off in a vehicle in the direction of Halifax town centre.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting crime reference 13180463827."

Are you a workman who has been targeted by tool thieves in recent months? Is the issue becoming more of an issue in West Yorkshire? Drop an email telling your story to [email protected] or call 01422 260200.