Gardener heartbroken losing £30k in tools raid

A landscape gardener said he had lost up to £30,000 in equipment and income after his tool shed was raided.

Jack Roberts said a thief took landscaping tools from his converted barn in Barnard Castle, and smashed up his van in the early hours of 30 March.

The 20-year-old who started landscaping when he was 14, said he felt "terrible" and responsible as employees of his business Evergreen Grounds, had mortgages to pay.

Durham Police said it had carried out forensic work and house-to-house inquiries but had closed the case after "all lines of enquiry had been exhausted".

CCTV footage showed a man breaking through the skylight of the barn in the early hours and taking equipment.

Items lost included hedge cutters, strimmers and fencing tools, and Roberts said he was worried about being able to provide work for his two full-time and three part-time workers.

He said: "Tools can be replaced, but I have that responsibility on my shoulders for their mortgages, their families.

"That rests on me to keep that money coming in," he said.

He said he had now relocated his premises over fears another theft could occur, with the help of friends and family, including his 83-year-old grandmother, Wendy Richardson.

"Kindly, my granny has been a real help, taking a lot of her own time out of her busy schedule to do the likes of cleaning, painting - she's been putting in a real good effort," he said.

Richardson said her grandson had shown "remarkable resilience".

"It's so unfair that he's spent all this time building up the business - he's giving employment to people.

"It should be all gone, but it isn't and that's the beauty of it," she said.

"He knows he's got family behind him. We're all very proud of him and what he's doing."

Roberts said he had received donated, replacement items from the local community.

"The business is looking very different," he said.

"We're just sort of taking every day as it comes, week by week, still trying to deliver a high service to our customers."

A spokeswoman for Durham Police said: "Officers carried out a thorough investigation into the incident, including reviewing CCTV and carrying out house-to-house inquiries and forensic work.

"Unfortunately, all lines of enquiry have been exhausted, and the case has been closed pending any new information."

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