Thieves vanish with fire escape ladder

Brazen metal thieves sped off with a fire escape ladder after raiding a Black Country firm – despite promising to return their stash when confronted by bosses.

Thieves struck at UK One Training Solutions on the Mucklow Hill Trading Estate, Halesowen at 11am yesterday, escaping with the £1,000 made-to-measure, 12ft steel ladder. Director Jonathan Lawrence said today he was furious after the gang gave him and co-director Danny Caldicott the slip.

He described them as "no better than rats scavenging for what they can get".

The 36-year-old father of two said: "We're still fitting out the centre and were inside when we heard the rattling of metal so went outside to investigate.

"We saw a tat wagon, a blue open backed Transit van, driving off with our ladder on the back.

"In disbelief, we jumped in the car and followed them and when they stopped, politely told them that we wanted our ladder.

"They apologised and said they would bring it back and they started following us back to the centre.

"However, when we got to the island at B&Q instead of turning right, as we did, they raced off down Mucklow Hill."

Mr Lawrence added: "We have contacted police and they said that if we'd got a registration number they could have picked them up within minutes, but unfortunately we didn't make a note of the van's plates."

Mr Lawrence, whose firm will offer qualifications in plumbing, plastering, tiling and solar energy, said he wanted to warn other firms about the thieves.

The incident is the latest in a spate of metal thefts.

Burger van owner Paul Magson, of Rowley Regis had his livelihood ruined by thieves who stripped his cooking equipment twice last month. In June, two Dudley men suffocated after triggering a carbon dioxide fire safety system at a Blackheath firm during a bungled copper raid.