A MYSTERY thief has swiped a mum’s beloved shrubs off her driveway before using a wheelie bin in a bizarre ‘getaway’.
Brenda Weldon captured CCTV footage of a woman approaching her house in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, in the early hours of November 19.
Kennedy News and MediaBrenda Weldon captured CCTV footage of a woman swiping her plants[/caption]
Kennedy News and MediaShe then came back minutes later with a wheelie bin to transport them away[/caption]
The 36-year-old was working a night shift and didn’t notice her two topiary plants were missing until two days later.
Brenda went to put up her outdoor Christmas decorations when she spotted the artificial plants pots were missing so dashed to check her camera.
Her CCTV shows a woman “waltz” down Brenda’s driveway, pick up the plants, place them by her gate, then come back minutes later with a wheelie bin to transport them away.
The mum-of-three, who works for the council, was left in disbelief that someone could do this in such a well-lit area and is furious as she had only owned the plants for a year.
Brenda said: “I was going to put up my decorations outside, my Christmas lights, when I first noticed they’d disappeared.
“I thought ‘Maybe I moved them?’ but I didn’t remember doing that.
“So I asked my son, ‘Did you move the plants?’ and he said ‘No, mum, I’d never move your plants’.
“I started to think it had been stolen so I straight away checked my CCTV.
“I saw this person, she was walking past the big gate on my driveway.
“She kind of noticed those plants and then she looked and went back.
“She came back to the big gate, waltzed straight to the front door, took one plant to the gate and then she came back a few minutes later for the other one.
“She puts the two of them together behind the big gate so no one can see them.
“She disappears for eight or nine minutes then I see her coming with a wheelie bin. She puts them in and walks away.
“To be honest, watching it happen, I thought, ‘What a cheeky c***’.”
After angrily watching the video back, she began to sympathetically question whether perhaps the criminal simply liked them but couldn’t afford her own plants.
Brenda said: “I was so angry and annoyed. It just made my blood boil.
“I bought the plants last year but I was waiting for a while to buy them as they kept going out of stock. But they didn’t last long.
“I have no idea why she’d do it. At first I thought maybe she just liked the plants and couldn’t afford them.
“Then I thought maybe she has problems.”
After showing friends and family the video, they were equally baffled by the “bizarre” sight, but now the mum wants to share her story in order to highlight the criminal’s wrongdoing.
Brenda said: “It’s bizarre. I showed my husband and friends the video. They’ve all thought the same, ‘what a cheeky…’.
“I can’t believe that someone can do that, that they’d steal some plants, that they’d just come with a wheelie bin from wherever she lives.
“It’s important to share the story as what happened isn’t right. I’m a victim of crime.
“Outside my house is a lamp post so it’s very bright and I have the cameras and the ring doorbell, so I didn’t think someone would steal anything.
“It’s a main street so it’s very well lit. But I guess when someone wants to do something like that, they’ll find a way.”
Lancashire Police confirmed the incident has been reported and is under investigation.
Kennedy News and MediaBrenda’s CCTV shows a woman ‘waltz’ down her driveway[/caption]
Kennedy News and MediaShe pick up the plants and places them by Brenda’s gate[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
