Tradespeople in Clydebank should beware as Scotland saw a 33 per cent rise in incidents of tool theft over the past two years.
A large number of thefts now occur without a forced break in, where thieves use an electronic key fob to swiftly unlock keyless entry systems.
This makes it much easier to steal tools, and harder to notice when they have been stolen.
The average claim for tool theft costs £1,694.
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The top five affected trades for tool theft were builders, carpenters, electricians, plumbing, heating and ventilation contractors, and joiners.
The data, released by Simply Business, comes off the back of the small business insurer’s campaign to “Stamp Out Tool Theft’, and reflect an alarming increase in incidents of tool theft.
The problem is worse in other places, with parts of England seeing an 80 per cent increase.
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