A FOREST business has been devastated by heartless thieves who ransacked their premises and stole thousands of pounds worth of tools – and a child’s mini motorbike.

Mrs Jenny Hughes and her husband Grant now face having to rebuild Court Farm Garage in Littledean, which they have run for the last 15 years.

Police spent hours at the scene last Thursday trying to find clues of who had carried out the raid.

The company work in both motor car sales and repairs, and it was the repairs garage side of the business that was hit.

In their grief, though, the couple have sent their thanks to the local community who, on hearing of their plight, immediately rallied around in support.

The couple and their employees came into work on Thursday morning to find a horrific scene.

The premises were fully equiped with security devices but the raiders cut CCTV equipment and put hard-drying foam into alarms.

Everything from expensive equipment to ‘cleaning cloths’ was stolen in the raid, while the company safe, which had nothing inside, was discovered on Thursday dumped seven miles away in Parkend.

Mrs Hughes, who said it would have taken three people to lift the safe, estimates that there was between £60,000 and £70,000 of gear taken, and suspects it is the work of an organised gang.

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S FORESTER