‘I just really need them back’ - Appeal as thieves make off with at least 100 e-scooters worth over £40k in overnight raid of business near Edinburgh

Thieves made off with at least 100 e-scooters worth over £40,000 in an overnight raid at a Loanhead business.

Scoot-A-Boot owner, Rory Boyd, said the suspects managed to cut through a corrugated wall at the side of his building in Dryden Road and access the mezzanine level where the e-scooters were stored, all while evading the ground floor cameras. It is thought a suspect has squeezed up between the interior and exterior walls to gain access.

The 31-year-old, from Danderhall, said detectives told him the thieves must have previously been inside the premises - used as a storage facility and shop - to know how to access the second floor without triggering the alarms.

Mr Boyd, who set up the business last year and began fully operating in January, said the demand for e-scooters has been “massive” and that the criminals involved have taken advantage of this.

Rory Boyd is appealing to the public for any information which could help get his e-scooters back. Pictures: supplied

He reckons the thieves have made off with at least 100 e-scooters, about 70 percent of his stock, and that the total value of this is more than £40,000. He says he will likely run out of his remaining e-scooter stock by the start of July - but his next order is not due until August.

Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, he said: “My issue now is to tidy the place and sort everything out to keep trading, because it’s my only source of income. If I don’t find the scooters, I will have to make a decision going forward about trading for the next two months.

“The ground floor was not touched but this will only last me so long.

“People like that don’t care if you are going to struggle, though. I just really need the scooters back.”

The mess left upstairs following the raid at the Scoot-A-Boot premises in Loanhead.

Mr Boyd, whose business is his first ever venture, is hoping CCTV from a business across the road might show the culprits during the late night raid and any vehicles they used.

He says it could not have been an inside job as he is the owner and his only other member of staff is family.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers are conducting enquiries into the reported theft of scooters from a premises in Dryden Road, Loanhead, which was reported to police on Friday, 11 June. Enquiries remain ongoing.”

A message from the Editor:

The damage to the building where the thieves gained access (left), and the gap it is thought someone squeezed up to access the second floor.

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions.