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Topic ID 5813

28/02/2011 by Ewoowar

Metal thieves at Waters Garage.

Keep an eye open for metal thieves at the old Waters garage. This morning a red Mercedes van was spotted there at about 9 a.m. with guys loading metal pipework into it. By the time I crossed the A414 to get the registration number they were driving away so I missed it.........but I'm somewhat confident they were not bona fide as they then drove down the A414 and into Mead Gardens where they appeared to be offloading the piping. I also noted that lots of the lead flashing has also been ripped from Waters.


0 replies

Archived Replies

Reply ID 79833

28/02/2011 by Kitty Kat

It might be the contractors employed by the new owners. I understand that it has been sold and someone will shortly be carrying out decontamination works and removing the old fuel tanks from underground


Reply ID 79836

28/02/2011 by Frenchie

Whats it to be ?


Reply ID 79837

28/02/2011 by Kitty Kat

Flats!!!


Reply ID 79841

28/02/2011 by Eyeone

Are you being serious Kitty Kat?


Reply ID 79842

28/02/2011 by Kitty Kat

I'm afraid so


Reply ID 79843

28/02/2011 by Steve

quote:
Originally posted by Kitty Kat
Flats!!!
Although no planning application has yet been submitted.


Reply ID 79844

28/02/2011 by Frenchie

Convenient access to the A414.....


Reply ID 79846

28/02/2011 by exiled_in_Reading

Some lovely, and in all probability, contaminated land there. Good luck with using that as collateral at the moment to whoever wants to build on it.


Reply ID 79847

28/02/2011 by Leo Densian

Some guys still doing something on the forecourt when I went by around 5pm


Reply ID 79848

28/02/2011 by hertford born and bred

quote:
Originally posted by Kitty Kat
Flats!!!
Damn..No KFC Drive thru


Reply ID 79849

28/02/2011 by Eyeone

Looks like KFC chickened out on the deal.[:)]


Reply ID 79852

28/02/2011 by tiger.1000

Well if you couldn't get the registration number at Waters what prevented you doing so when they were unloading ?


Reply ID 79860

01/03/2011 by Ewoowar

quote:
Originally posted by tiger.1000
Well if you couldn't get the registration number at Waters what prevented you doing so when they were unloading ?
The van was outside Direct Carpets with another smaller van directly behind it so I couldn't see the registration plate without walking right up to it. When I first saw the men carrying the pipes on the forecourt one of them looked at me. When I went through the underpass and approached the garage they were turning the van round and about to drive away.....and they looked at me again. If you then think I'm going to approach these guys a third time you can think again.


Reply ID 79861

01/03/2011 by Ewoowar

quote:
Originally posted by Kitty Kat
It might be the contractors employed by the new owners. I understand that it has been sold and someone will shortly be carrying out decontamination works and removing the old fuel tanks from underground
The guys I saw may well be legitimate. However loading pipes into the back of an unmarked van next to the forecourt and then offloading them on the other side of the A414 doesn't seem logical.


Reply ID 79866

01/03/2011 by Kitty Kat

quote:
Originally posted by Ewoowar
quote:
Originally posted by tiger.1000
Well if you couldn't get the registration number at Waters what prevented you doing so when they were unloading ?
The van was outside Direct Carpets with another smaller van directly behind it so I couldn't see the registration plate without walking right up to it. When I first saw the men carrying the pipes on the forecourt one of them looked at me. When I went through the underpass and approached the garage they were turning the van round and about to drive away.....and they looked at me again. If you then think I'm going to approach these guys a third time you can think again.
Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to stare [;)]


Reply ID 79867

01/03/2011 by tiger.1000

You could have popped in to Direct Carpets and had a brief chat with the lovely Tony, spun around and made a mental note of the registration number and THEN....when the van had driven off popped back in to Tony's office and dialled 999 ! Not within the bounds of human intelligence. Had the geezers in the van then returned you would have sped off and Tony would have got a clip and not you ? Now everyone within a 10 mile radius will be petrified at the sight of every red Mercedes van... TUT TUT.....


Reply ID 79869

01/03/2011 by Ewoowar

quote:
Originally posted by tiger.1000
You could have popped in to Direct Carpets and had a brief chat with the lovely Tony, spun around and made a mental note of the registration number and THEN....when the van had driven off popped back in to Tony's office and dialled 999 ! Not within the bounds of human intelligence. Had the geezers in the van then returned you would have sped off and Tony would have got a clip and not you ? Now everyone within a 10 mile radius will be petrified at the sight of every red Mercedes van... TUT TUT.....
Yeah, right. So I should have "popped in" for a "chat" with a bloke I don't know after passing a group of guys who had seen me watching them behave supiciously. You really thought that one through. Oh, and 999 is for emergencies only. That would have gone down well at the control centre, "Some blokes might be stealing some pipes from an old garage".


Reply ID 79870

01/03/2011 by Ewoowar

I'm pleased to be able to clear this up. The carpet fitters use the dry forecourt of the old garage to cut large pieces of carpet for contract work. The 'pipework' is the tubing inside the carpet rolls......hence why it was being unloaded across the road. It's still worthwhile keeping an eye on the site as the lead flashing has definitely been ripped off.


Reply ID 79873

01/03/2011 by tiger.1000

Come now ! Any decent law abiding citizen has a responsibilty to inform the police of any suspicious activity regardless of however trivial that may be. OK, in this case it was a few harmless geezers unwrapping carpet on the garage forecourt BUT.....! You could have been the heroic Hertfordian that undercovered an international metal theft and smuggling operation of previously unheard of proportions. Chances are you MIGHT have got a couple of slaps but there'd be plenty of folk in the vicinity to call for back up. Wally Temple's yard is only a few metres away and I'm pretty certain that Stevie Temple would be up for a punch up ?


Reply ID 79876

01/03/2011 by Ewoowar

quote:
Originally posted by tiger.1000
Come now ! Any decent law abiding citizen has a responsibilty to inform the police of any suspicious activity regardless of however trivial that may be. OK, in this case it was a few harmless geezers unwrapping carpet on the garage forecourt BUT.....! You could have been the heroic Hertfordian that undercovered an international metal theft and smuggling operation of previously unheard of proportions. Chances are you MIGHT have got a couple of slaps but there'd be plenty of folk in the vicinity to call for back up. Wally Temple's yard is only a few metres away and I'm pretty certain that Stevie Temple would be up for a punch up ?
I DID call the police, only on the 0845 3300222 number rather than 999 which is reserved for emergencies. Some people do..... Some people moan.....


Reply ID 79878

01/03/2011 by tiger.1000

Well why didn't you say that in the first place ? The potential to bust an international crime synicate deserves a 999 call ! COR....Some mothers do have 'em !


Reply ID 80289

27/03/2011 by Aelle

quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Kitty Kat
Flats!!!
Although no planning application has yet been submitted.
Another 'For Sale' sign now up and it appears to be on the market again according to Colliers website (dated March 2011): http://automotive.colliers-uk.com/property.aspx?site_search=1&cat=0&FRAME=default.aspx%3fQS%3d1%26SearchGUID%3d5f2046bf-7637-47d1-bab9-2b920add4aff%26LowestIDX%3d205876568%26RecordCount%3d1%26DepartmentID%3d18


22 replies