Breaker stolen by bold thieves

Plant thieves seem to be getting bolder following a recent incident where thieves stole a breaker while the operator was only 30m away.
The thieves used a Transit-size van fitted with tail lift to steal the breaker belonging to J&J Plant Hire as it was lying on the ground. The carrier was being used 30m away to dig a hole.
While out of sight, the thieves lowered the tail-lift before reversing the van up to the breaker, rolling the Hammermaster on, elevating the lift slightly and speeding off before the JCB operator could do anything to prevent the theft.
"They probably went round the corner, loaded the breaker on properly and then drove off," said Gordon Finch, father of Jonathan and Jason, proprietors of J&J Plant Hire.
The machine was on a one-day hire when the incident happened next to a demolition site in Hartlepool. Finch said there is little likelihood of getting the HM3600 (serial number 0872846) back, despite it being marked with the postcode TS15 0JX.