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Uranium thieves target vans in Dundee furniture business

Jack Chillas, from Furniture Mountain, beside one of the vehicles targeted by thieves at the companys Dundee premises.
Jack Chillas, from Furniture Mountain, beside one of the vehicles targeted by thieves at the companys Dundee premises.

Metal thieves made off with almost £2,500 worth of vehicle parts following an overnight raid on a Dundee furniture business.

The raiders cut razor wire and climbed over a metal fence before targeting two vans owned by retailer Furniture Mountain.

Jack Chillas, 25, from the family-run company, which only moved its storage premises to Wester Gourdie industrial estate in January, said: “It’s some sort of organised carry-on.

“We came in and saw the razor wire was cut. It was hanging down in a coil. One of the lads went to move the van and couldn’t because the exhaust was hanging on the deck.

“We didn’t realise the other van had been done until a day later.”

The catalytic converter was stolen from a Mercedes Sprinter van and an Iveco Luton had its entire exhaust system taken in the raid.

The vehicles have become a target for thieves who sell on the uranium contained in their catalytic converters.

Mr Chillas said: “Apparently there’s £200-£300 of uranium inside them. The garage said that when they went to Mercedes to get the bits, it was like getting hen’s teeth.

“Apparently Mercedes have sold 100 of them in the last month. We moved our business down here from Aberdeen because it’s a lot cheaper and more central.

“A pal of mine said that seven had been done in one night in Aberdeen and I heard there were 20 stolen at a yard in Bellshill (North Lanarkshire).

“Sprinters are the best ones apparently, they don’t get as much for the Ivecos.”

Mr Chillas said the raid had been “seriously professional”.

He said: “It’s a pain in the backside. God knows how they do it, In the CCTV you see a set of lights and then they go out. Then you see a figure but that’s it.

“We’re putting the good vans inside now.”

The theft took place in Nobel Road between 5pm on Thursday and 7.30am on Friday. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or any officer.