A MANAGER of a family business has been left “flabbergasted” after a 35-yard skip was stolen from the back of his shop.

Stephen White, who runs Martins of Letchworth in Leys Avenue, turned up to work on Tuesday morning to discover that a steel skip containing rubbish from the furniture shop had gone missing.

The skip - which is green in colour and has SHANKS written on it in white letters - is collected and emptied by contractors in Hitchin every Friday at the back of the store in Openshaw Way.

“I rang the skip company and asked ‘why have you come on Tuesday because it’s usually a Friday’,” said Mr White, who has run the 75-year-old business on behalf of his brother for the last four years.

“They said they hadn’t and then it dawned on me. It’s unbelievable as it’s there every day.

“I know there’s a lot of crime to do with copper and aluminium but I just didn’t think steel was that valuable. We’ve had a catalytic convertor stolen from our van but nothing like this.”

Mr White is hopeful that someone might have witnessed the theft, which occurred sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

“That’s just about the largest skip that you can get - it’s enormous,” he said.

“I haven’t got a quote for a replacement yet but I’m expecting it to be in the thousands. I’m just flabbergasted. Hopefully someone may have seen it being tipped as they would need to get rid of the rubbish.”

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said: “It’s being investigated as a theft. We’re conducting enquiries and looking at CCTV footage in the area.”

If anyone has information about the theft, call the police on non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference number G2/12/178.