Thieves who stole a jet ski from a Kirkcaldy driveway have been thwarted thanks to hidden trackers.
CCTV cameras captured one of two masked men tampering with the machine parked outside a property on Bowhouse Drive, in the Seafield area of the town, at around 3am on Tuesday
A neighbour reported seeing two men parking the jet ski a short distance away before returning in a black transit van 30 minutes later and towing it away.
Owners Ian and Nicola Fleming realised they had been victims of the theft when they woke at around 6.30am.
‘The thieves knew what they were doing’
Nicola told The Courier that she discovered the jet ski gone when she came out to use her bin.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it at first as there was just a big gap on the drive where the jet ski normally is.
“The thieves had obviously come prepared and knew exactly what they were doing, as they cut through the fixing that was securing the trailer.
“They also smashed a security camera that was on the fence.
“A neighbour, who just happened to be up feeding her baby, witnessed two men wearing balaclavas later returning for the jet ski and towing it away with a black van.”
The couple had bought the Sea-Doo Fish Pro model, which is sold for about £16,000-£20,000 new, 18 months ago.
Ian uses it primarily for fishing.
However, the brazen thieves were thwarted thanks to a number of trackers hidden on the machine.
One of those missed by the thieves helped the owners pinpoint its exact whereabouts – seven miles away in Lochgelly.
Nicola said: “The thieves obviously knew what they were doing as they had knocked off at least one of several trackers.
“But thanks to one of the tracking devices still attached, it led Ian to Rattray Terrace in Lochgelly where the jet ski had been parked.
“Ian raced up there, found it and brought it straight home.
“We’ve also alerted the police to the theft and have CCTV footage of one of those responsible so will be handing that over too.”
Plans to increase security after jet ski stolen
The couple have also posted images of the jet ski and the camera footage on social media in a bid to trace those responsible.
Nicola added: “We just want to deter them from thinking about doing it again.
“I’ll be adding extra locks and chains to the ski and the trailer and we will also be replacing the security camera.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “At around 7.10am on Tuesday, police received a report of the theft of a jet ski in the Bowhouse Drive area of Kirkcaldy.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
