Van theft devastates brothers
A thief robbed Alan Jones of more than just a van when the vehicle was stolen from a Coseley street.
The 75-year-old has been fixing aerials within in a 30-mile radius of Wolverhampton with brother Glyn, 64, for more than 50 years.
Now he is trying to cope without the van – and is desperate to get back possessions within the vehicle that have great sentimental value. He said: "If it had been my Jaguar car, I would not have been bothered but this was not just a van. It was part of my life."
The distinctive yellow Peugeot Expert HDI – registration number DV04 FPK – was filled with personal papers and an irreplaceable collection of specially made vintage tools built up over the past five decades. He fears that whoever stole the van will attempt to sell the tools on and that he will never see them again.
Mr Jones, of The Uplands, Sedgley, said: "There was so much of sentimental value in the vehicle.
"It included 40 years of business paperwork, records from when I served in the Army in the 1950s and £1,000 worth of equipment, much of which had been specially made for us donkeys years ago."
The van was taken from outside a house in Harding Street, Coseley, where the brothers were working, at 4pm on Tuesday.
Mr Jones is offering a £100 reward for its safe return and is asking anyone with information, or who is offered the tools, to call the police.
He said: "We saw the van moving, and I chased after it, but could not catch it, despite the traffic being heavy.
"We are both still in shock. We do not know what to do with ourselves after driving off to work together every day for so long. It is devastating."
The firm, Alan Jones TV Aerials, was originally based in Goldthorn Hill before moving to its present premises in Wolverhampton Road, Sedgley.
West Midlands Police are investigating the theft of the vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call officers at Brierley Hill on 0845 113 5000.