Trademan's tools worth €6,500 stolen

THIEVES have struck in the east Mayo area, stealing tools valued €6,500 at the home of a tradesman.

The theft took place on Thursday between 11.15 a.m. and 1 p.m., midway between Kiltimagh and Swinford, at a property on the main road.

A shed door, adjacent to the victim's home, which was unoccupied at the time, was kicked in and builder's tools, including two laser levels, two passload guns, a rougher, a nine-inch angle grinder, bell sander and two screw guns, were taken. The total value of the property was €6,500.

As the injured party pointed out, incidents such as this are not just about the theft of tools. A tradesman without tools has lost his livelihood and he has been forced to turn down work for the coming weeks as a result of the incident.

“It would cost in the region of €10,000 to replace what's been taken, just to get up and running,” he said.

People need to be vigilant to this activity, he urged.

Gardaí in Swinford are investigating and anyone who saw anything suspicious is asked to get in touch.

*Earlier this week, in our print edition, we reported how gardaí had recovered a quantity of stolen machinery, valued at €45,000, in the north Mayo region.