Tradespeople are proving to be easy prey for thieves as the latest study has shown that nearly half of them regularly leave high value tools in the van overnight.

For all types of tradespeople, the van is as crucial to business as a mobile phone or a tape measure, though in its annual ‘Healthcheck’ of the tradespeople and minor contractors of the UK, ECIS, the employee benefits company for the construction industry, found that over one in three tradespeople (35%) have had their van broken into.

The biggest theft victims are electricians, with 58% of electrical contractors stating that they had experiences theft from their van.

However, 45% of all trades said that they do not remove even the most valuable tools from their van when it is left unattended overnight. Roofers are the most cautious, with 59% of them removing their tools from the van.

It appears that the volume of thefts being experiences does not have a direct correlation with any branding on the vehicle, as 66% of tradespeople said that they have branding on their van. This is an increase from the 60% recorded last year.

The least likely tradespeople to brand their van are contractors and general builders, while 76% of the roofers surveyed saying that they use their vehicle to market their company.

ECIS Chief Executive Officer, Paul Guiry, commented: “The van is an essential tool in the contracting sector, yet many of the tradespeople we spoke to are not protecting their vans from the risk of theft.

“Whilst the cost of replacing tools may be covered by specialist insurance such as that provided by our sister company ECIC’s Tradesman policy, theft is still immensely disruptive to businesses.”

Guiry added that it is concerning that a third of tradespeople are not using the free advertising space on the side of their van.