Van stolen in raid on council depot found over 50 miles away

Thieves have stolen 1,000 litres of fuel and two vans from a council depot in the Scottish Borders.

Police in Northumberland later recovered one of the vehicles stolen from the yard in Hawick – a white Peugeot Partner – over 50 miles away in Hexham following the raid over the weekend.

A white Ford Transit tipper, registration FH16 EKX, remains missing along with the kerosene and around £9,000 of road working tools.

Officers believe the theft occurred between 3.30pm on Friday, June 16, and 5.45am on Monday, June 19, at the depot on Upper Mansfield Road in the town.

An appeal has now been launched to trace the missing items.

Detective constable Claire White, of Galashiels CID, said: “Our enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing for anyone in the area over the weekend who saw anything suspicious to get in touch.

“Likewise, if you have private CCTV or dash-cam footage that could assist with our investigation then please call us.”

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0571 of Monday, June 19.

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