Cambridge City Foodbank boss hits out at ‘mind-blowing’ van theft

A food bank boss said it was “mind-blowing” that thieves had put its van out of action by stealing its engine.

Steve Clay, chief executive of Cambridge City Foodbank, said the charity’s primary mode of transport had been written off after being towed from its warehouse and abandoned nearby, with its engine compartment completely removed.

“It’s mind-blowing, really, to think that somebody could be so callous,” Clay said.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was contacted about the theft from Nuffield Close last week, adding that investigations were ongoing.

Clay said CCTV suggested the van was stolen at about 20:00 BST on Tuesday, after two previous visits from thieves in which they broke a window and prepared the van to be towed.

He believes they then spent about two hours dismantling the van before abandoning it on a nearby street, where it was found the following day by a resident.

Clay said he had “never, ever seen anything like this before”.

The van, the larger of the food bank’s two vehicles, was used to transport donations from supermarkets, businesses and community groups to the charity’s warehouse, as well as to take food parcels to its eight centres across Cambridge.