Thirteen portable toilets stolen from depot

Burglars have stolen 13 portable toilets from an Oxfordshire depot, leaving a company up to £12,000 out of pocket.

The general manager of AndyLoos said the company's site on Thorpe Way, Banbury was broken into by a gang using angle grinders between at 18:30 and 19:15 GMT on 8 January.

AndyLoos' CCTV cameras captured the thieves loading up the toilet units on to two vehicles, with another vehicle being used to keep watch outside the depot.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson confirmed the force was investigating.

The gang members wore hooded tops as they used specialist trolleys to move the toilets around the depot and onto the vehicles.

"They're not chancers. They've turned up, they knew what they were doing, they knew what they were going for," Amy Philpot, AndyLoos' general manager, told BBC Radio Oxford.

"It's a risk of the trade. We have plastic toilets out in vulnerable areas. They could be on people's driveways or in fields and you do lose the odd one. But to have your yard broken into is a bit more unheard of."

The company is based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire and has six depots around the country.

"It's a massive inconvenience. Yes, we have insurance that will help cover the cost of it hopefully. But it's a big hit for us," Miss Philpot added.

"We've worked hard over the last 35 years and invest in our fleet and get toilets into depots. We haven't got them sat there for someone to take away. But somebody thought they'd come and help themselves. It's not good."

Police urged anyone who might have seen the incident, or who has information, to get in touch.

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