More than £5,000 worth of damage has been caused to a construction firm's site in Basingstoke after thugs broke into the units with a hot-wired digger. 

A group smashed through the barriers of Gosling's Garden and Fencing Services in cars and stole the contents of their units.

Now the owner has blasted police for an alleged lack of action of the raid, which has left the company director with a headache before Christmas.

Simon Gosling, business owner, said due to the volume of raids their business suffers, they are unable to apply for insurance. This means the firm is kept out of pocket every time.

The father-of-two told the Gazette he is furious with the lack of support from the police: “The first time it happened they came and got foot prints and finger prints but they couldn’t arrest anyone.

“But it’s become so frequent now that they don’t even bother coming out anymore, they just make a note of it and give us the number to quote for the next time it happens."

His advice for other business owners is to be vigilant. He said: “Keep your eyes open, is all I’d say. This group tends to steal 4x4 cars and then set them alight once they’ve got their use out of them, it’s a quick and easy way to get rid of the evidence. there was a car burning away just last week down in Northwood, so watch out for fires.

“We need this public as all the local business and land owners are frustrated that the police will not do anything about rural crime.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

Neighbourhood Inspector, Hannah Luchesa, said: "I would like to assure the community that we take rural crime extremely seriously as a force and our teams are continuously monitoring crime patterns and adjustng their patrols constantly. It's a priority both for Basingstoke District and Country Watch. 

"While you may not always see us out and about, I can reassure you that we are targeting our resources using intelligence to build up a picture that will allow us to respond in an effective and robust way. 

"We are very much aware of a current series in which rural business premises are being targeted and we are working with colleagues in specialist policing teams across the force to challenge, disrupt and arrest those responsible. 

"We do appreciate the distress and frustration of victims who have been targeted by burglars or vandals but we also have to evaluate factors such as the available evidence and prioritise our resources as appropriate. 

"This can differ depending on a number of factors including whether a crime is in progress or if there are potential forensic opportunities. Details of incidents are taken and an assessment is made to establush if a deployment is necessary. 

"However, we would also ask the public to remain vigilant at all times and report any suspiscious activity to us immediately."

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the police on 101, quoting 44190444613.