E-scooters stolen as crooks break into Lifestyle and Mobility, Basildon

Lifestyle and Mobility, based in Market Square, Basildon, believes it was targeted by the thieves due to the popularity of the E-scooters they sell.

The firm has been forced to close under the Tier 4 restrictions in place for the whole of Essex, but the crooks managed to break through the shutters at around 1am on Monday morning.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused.

Alan Jiggens, co-director and branch manager for the Basildon store, said: “The group spent a good amount of time trying to prise open the steel shutter and broke the glass to gain entry.

“It looks like they used some of the temporary fencing from the new college that’s being built in front of the shop.

“Once they gained entry, they took E-scooters, E-bikes, and small folding mobility scooters.

“Some of these items can retail at a value of £3,995.

“We believe this was a planned and targeted event, as the eScooters are extremely popular at the moment and can be easily moved on very quickly.

“Normal retail for one of these can be around £369.”

It is not known how many crooks were involved in the break-in, and no arrests have been made yet.

Mr Jiggens said: “We are a company that supports the community immensely and help give independence to so many of our customers.

“Devastation like this could be the tip of the iceberg and damage our business further.

“Although we have insurance, we have had to shut our stores like so many others.

“It has been a terrible year and, like many businesses, we are only just getting by.

“We really hope the council and government can support our business through these tough times.”

The incident has been reported to Essex Police who are investigating the matter.

The force are keen to see any CCTV or dash-cam footage that other firms or residents may have from 6pm onwards on December 27.

Call 101 with information quoting the reference number 42/211701/20.