A grandfather who was just weeks away from retirement has said he is living a nightmare after thieves broke into his Henlow garage and stole £15,000 worth of tools.

Robert Ransom had locked up and gone home for the night when thieves targeted his car repair business, Ransom’s Garage in Clifton Road, between 6.30pm last Tuesday, May 31, and 7.50am, the following morning.

Robert said: “They cut their way in with bolt cutters and robbed us blind.

“They must’ve been in there over an hour throwing stuff about.”

The offenders trashed the place and took the tools, which Robert had collected over 40 years.

The mechanic, from Clifton, has had to borrow tools from friends in the trade to continue working, but has had to pass on most of his clients to other businesses and won’t be able to continue for much longer without the tools.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare, I’m shattered, and extremely gutted about it all,” he said.

“I’m 66, I’ve been doing this for 50 years and I was due to retire in a few weeks, but I’m going to bring my retirement forward.

“You don’t want to be beaten but I can’t be doing with all this.

“I didn’t want it to end on such a bad note.”

Robert, who has five children and 11 grandchildren and lives with his retired wife, has asked for anyone who hears of any tools being sold on or anything suspicious to report it to the police.

“It’s going to be a very expensive Christmas this year, but I’m not thinking about that at the moment, I just need to get through the next few weeks,” he said.

The family suspect it may have been someone who knew the area well as ‘casual passers by would hardly have noticed there was a garage there.’

Police have asked anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact them on 101.