Explosive gas gear dumped in street

Thieves stole metering equipment and a canister containing potentially explosive hydrogen when they broke into a van belonging to gas supplier Transco.

The offenders struck in Osterley Road at noon last Wednesday and apparently dumped their haul soon after.

Eddie Wilson, 43, was going out on Wednesday evening when he noticed an equipment bag and toolbox by the side of road outside his house in William Street, Kingshill.

Mr Wilson,a Swindon Pressings shop steward , said: "It looked like it had just been left behind by accident, like when people load up their car and leave something on the floor. You see builders do that sometimes.

"I thought it would be a good idea to put the stuff inside my house for safety. I asked my daughter to take it inside, and we told our local newsagent that if anyone came back to ask where this stuff had gone to come over and knock on our door. But no-one did."

It was his wife, Shirley, who made the connection with the missing Transco equipment when she spotted an item about it in the Evening Advertiser.

She said: "I didn't really pay very much attention when Eddie found the equipment outside that night, but when I was shown the article in the paper on Thursday, it was just too much of a coincidence."

Eddie said: "When we realised what this equipment was, we called the police, but they never came out despite repeated calls.

"They just didn't seem very interested, even though this is almost definitely the equipment that was stolen from the van."

Transco spokeswoman Caroline Davidson said: "We are very pleased that this equipment has been recovered. It is used to quickly detect gas leaks so they can be isolated and stopped.

"Our prime concern was about bogus callers and that this equipment could have been used as a tool to fool members of the public to let bogus callers into their homes.

"We thank Mr Wilson for his considerate actions."

No-one from Wiltshire police was available for comment.