Farmer foils theft attempt

The quick-thinking customer at Jim Price machinery, near Oswestry, tried to block the thieves' path with his own vehicle. Although the getaway driver managed to get through the "road block" the thieves had to escape without the quad bike.

Today Graham Marston, the owner of the agricultural machinery company, warned the business world to be alert to daytime thieves.

"You wouldn't believe it could happen, but it obviously does," he said.

The attempted theft happened at the company on the Morton Business Park at Gledrid just before midday on a busy Saturday morning.

Mr Marston said: "There were a couple of customers in the showroom. I heard a screech of tyres and just put it down to something happening on the road.

"But then a farmer customer came in and said that someone was trying to steal one of the all-terrain vehicles that are out on display at the front."

The customer told him he had been astonished to see a white transit van draw up outside and three people get out and start loading one of the quad bikes into the side of the van.

He used his Land Rover to try to block the exit from the premises.

But Mr Marston said the driver of the van managed to squeeze through a gap between the vehicle and the fence.

The van made off in the direction of Chirk.

"They didn't manage to get the ATV into the van, thanks to the customer raising the alarm," he said. "However they had managed to get it off the trailer it was on, even though it was broad daylight."

Quad bikes are recognised as "hot property" by thieves.

This year Dyfed-Powys Police warned owners that the criminal world was targeting all-terrain vehicles and urged them to make sure then were securely locked away and could be identified if stolen.

Police patrols in rural areas across Mid Wales were stepped up in a bid to catch the thieves.

Anyone with information about the incident at the agricultural machinery business should contact police on 08457 444888 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.