A COUPLE who moved to the Fens from France last year have been left devastated, after thieves used bolt cutters to steal a �1,200 trailer from outside their new home near Wisbech.

Retired carpenter David Hurst had been using the trailer daily to transport materials as he worked tirelessly to renovate the home he was renovating for himself and his disabled wife Janet.

David said: “We have loved living here in Tholomas Drove, but this theft has really taken the shine off things for us. We found this cottage and absolutely love it, we like the wide open spaces, and we thought this was a safe area. This theft has really stopped me in my tracks, the trailer really was invaluable for us.

“After receiving advice from our plumber, I had regularly taken the wheels off the trailer as a security measure. But I kept them on the night before the trailer was stolen, after driving back from Derbyshire. The trailer was secured with a heavy duty motorcycle chain, so the thieves must have used bolt cutters. We did not hear anything.”

The couple’s daughter, Tina Hiscox, made a poster about the missing French trailer which was very distinctive, being 10 feet long and six feet wide, and bearing the makers name Lider. The poster has been put up at the Morrisons supermarket in Wisbech, and David hopes to put another poster up at the local recycling centre.

“But I think the trailer will have already left the area, the police think the thieves come from outside the area,” added David. “I have bought a small camping trailer to replace it, to move things from the garden.

“I want to warn other people to ensure that they secure trailers and take the wheels off to prevent them being stolen in the future.” ”