An Appleton Road resident is asking people to be vigilant after what he describes as “an epidemic” of vehicle break-ins around the area, often involving the theft of tools from vans.

James Kendrick, pictured, who runs a groundworks company, said his van has been broken into four times since Christmas 2016, with tools stolen on three occasions.

And he said he knows of about 17 separate vehicle incidents that have taken place locally in the last 12 months, among them two break-ins on Castle Road to cars and vans, and tool thefts from vans in Dell Road.

“It’s absolutely rife. It’s an epidemic,” he said. “And it’s people’s livelihoods.”

The latest incident to affect him, which he said was reported to the police, took place in the morning of Thursday, January 25. His van’s window was smashed, the lock broken and a disc cutter was taken. He said the window alone will cost about £150 to replace. This time the vehicle was parked outside his Appleton Road home, although the van’s also been broken into when it’s been parked at River View Road.

“There’s a lot of hard working people around here. It’s a lovely area – the best part of Southampton. And we shouldn’t be victims like this,” he said.