Dad arrived at work and 'instantly knew something' was wrong

Kevin Lowe, 47, from Huyton, Merseyside, has spent the last 32 years, since leaving school at 15, working towards owning his own business

A hardworking dad's world came crashing down when thieves stripped him of 'everything' in a ruthless raid.

Kevin Lowe, 47, from Huyton, Merseyside, knew trouble was brewing the moment he reached his workplace. After slaving away since he was just 15 to realise his dream of owning his own business, disaster struck for Kevin on September 17. Upon arrival at his work site with business partner Danny Gornall, 40, and his son an employee of his business it was clear that disaster had hit their Menlove Avenue, Allerton, job.

Speaking to the ECHO, Kevin recounted the fateful morning: "We had been working on this job in Allerton and had everything secured as we do every job. We have locks for all the accesses to the site where the tools are kept overnight. We had been working there for three weeks and it had been fine until we turned up last week and saw that the fencing had been ripped apart. I instantly knew something happened."

He went on: "My son ran in and my partner went up the scaffold. I heard my son screaming 'everything has gone.' I felt sick. We lost about £15,000 worth of tools, £10,000 of them are mine. I felt physically sick as soon as I saw the fencing ripped open."

The ordeal left Kevin unable to work while grappling with the loss of the essential tools worth around £15,000, which included £10,000 of his own equipment. Kevin lamented: "We had to replace the basics to carry on working. We haven't got £15,000 to replace the tools we've lost, we work to live.", reports the Manchester Evening News.

He was out of action for days, costing him more than just the tools but also days of wages. A distraught dad narrated the personal toll of a brazen burglary, stating, "I have my two sons working for me as well, they just walk past me hugging me all the time asking if I'm OK, they can see I have been really affected by it. I have a family to provide for."

He continued with a sombre tone: "They must have got access [to the site] through the roof. They've taken their time going through the tools and taking them. They have taken everything, even all the batteries and unplugged all the charges. This is my livelihood, it was heart breaking. It's more sickening than anything else."

A Merseyside Police representative reported on the crime: "Detectives are appealing for information following a house burglary on Tuesday 17 September in Allerton. It was reported that a house on Menlove Avenue was broken into overnight and work tools were stolen from the property. No injuries were reported."

The statement concluded with an appeal for public assistance: "Enquiries are being caried and anyone with any information or footage of the incident is asked to contact police. Anyone who witnessed the incident or with any information can contact us by DM via our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' with reference 24000799763. You can also contact the independent charity Crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."