Tools stolen from UK tradespeople every 20 minutes, figures show

The figures, compiled by the BBC Shared Data Unit from 30 police forces, are likely to understate the problem: a further 15 forces could not respond. The average insurance claim for tool theft in 2025 was £4,206.60, according to insurer Direct Line for Business.

Labour MP Amanda Martin, who has campaigned for tougher sentencing for tool theft, said gangs and "chancers" were behind the crimes. The Home Office said it was "working with the police to tackle and prevent tool theft to protect more hardworking tradespeople", including increasing neighbourhood policing and working with industry and AI to tackle the sale of stolen goods.

Lulzim Pjetri, owner of Alliance Refrigeration Group, a commercial refrigeration business in Aston, Birmingham, said tools had been stolen six times in a year. He said that on one occasion thieves broke into a parked van while two of his staff sat in the cab eating lunch; they were not wearing masks, held up crowbars and told the workers it was not worth trying to stop them. “Unless they choke the second-hand tool market, this problem will always be there,” he said.

"I'm concerned for my guys' safety," said Pjetri, who employs seven people. "It is our living. It is the emotional trauma that you get from it. It's happening again and again and again and no one out there can see this." Replacing tools stolen from each van can cost up to £7,000, with a further £4,000 to £5,000 for repairs, before counting the cost of missed work while the vans are off the road, sometimes for weeks. Pjetri said the "constant theft" was making him consider leaving the UK.

Kerry Field, owner of Change It Homes in Norton Lindsey, Warwickshire, lost £10,000 worth of tools and motorbikes in a break-in, his biggest single loss, and spent a further £10,000 on security, including electric gates, cameras and a rescue dog. Staff found one of the stolen saws advertised for sale online, but Field said he was advised to collect it himself when he reported it to police; he said the force later apologised. “I think it's definitely got worse,” he said. “If you take away someone's livelihood, it has an impact on the whole of society.” He added that the lack of consequences for thieves did not instil confidence, though he understood forces were overstretched.

Warwickshire Police said it took all reports of tool theft "very seriously", but no suspect could be identified in Field's case. A spokesperson said: "Following concerns raised by the victim, the case was re-opened and thoroughly reviewed. No further lines of enquiry were identified." The Home Office said it had boosted neighbourhood policing, with more than 3,800 additional neighbourhood officers in roles, and was investing "a historic £18.5bn in police force funding".

Martin, the MP for Portsmouth North, called for better regulation of the secondhand market, including pawnbrokers, online retailers and auctioneers. "We, as a government, have to do more," she said. "It's making sure if you're selling some tools, you've got to have proof that you've owned it."

At a conference of traders in Birmingham last week, a common complaint was that insurance payouts did not cover new replacements or the business missed out on while waiting for repairs. Gareth Powley, a senior technical underwriter at Aviva and Direct Line for Business, said it had a “new for old” basis policy. “The worst thing you want when you have to claim is to be trying to find secondhand tools or to have that shortfall,” he said.

Sgt Dave Catlow of the National Business Crime Centre, who is overseeing a clampdown on tool theft, said organised crime groups were responsible for a large proportion of thefts, with stolen tools moved around the UK and abroad for resale. A five-strong rural gang was jailed last month after a Lincolnshire Police investigation. The Metropolitan Police has begun issuing notices warning car boot sale organisers they could face criminal liability under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 if they knowingly facilitate or ignore the sale of stolen, counterfeit and illicit goods, and visited Bonzer Car Boot Sale in Romford earlier this month with Kaiser, a sniffer dog trained to detect forensic markings on tools.