Industrial estate bosses 'sleeping at work to beat burglars'

[dutchman]

Worried bosses are being forced to sleep at work to deter thieves plaguing a crime-hit industrial estate on the outskirts of Coventry.



Business owners at Bayton Road industrial estate in Exhall say they’ve been left with no choice but to take drastic action after problems with criminals.

Some are keeping a night-time watch on their units by sleeping in camper vans outside their units in a bid to protect their livelihood, particularly from metal thieves.

They hope it will put criminals off but it also means they are on the spot if burglars do strike.

One businessman – who didn’t want to be identified to protect his business – explained his firm had been targeted twice by metal thieves in the last two months.

He said: “This estate, at the moment, is a big crime hotspot. As soon as it’s dark the metal thieves come out.

"At a unit down the road, the owner is having to sleep in a campervan outside to make sure his business is safe at night.

‘‘We have been here for 11 years and it is the worst it has ever been.

"We don’t know what is going to happen next. Thousands of people work on the estate but there is nothing to monitor or stop the vehicles coming in or out.

“It’s getting to the stage where people may turn to vigilante style protection. Owners will do anything to protect their businesses.

“Recently metal thieves were seen in broad daylight loading a van up with metal. It’s really bad.”

He added that the business has improved security at the site to withstand potential break-ins.

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