A tree surgeon has been unable to work after his trailer was stolen.
David Kenyon, from Horwich, has has been working in the area for more than 20 years.
And just over a month ago he invested in a new trailer but it was stolen from a yard just off Smithills Dean Road.
David was at home on Saturday, January 28 when he got a call about the theft.
The police have been informed of the incident but David knows he is unlikely to see it again.
He said: “I only got it five weeks ago and it cost around £10,000.
“They broke the hitch lock off it so they could release it before pushing it down path and then broke the barriers locking it in, parked it onto a vehicle and drove off.
“I need it for work and can’t work without it because it carries all my equipment on it and I need somewhere to put all the wood chippings.
“It’s my livelihood, so I can’t make a living if I don’t have my trailer.”
David found out the trailer was stolen just 20 minutes after the incident.
He said: “I was gutted because it takes a lot of saving up to buy the trailer and insurance will be around eight weeks, and in that time I need work.
“I have got to find a replacement trailer now, but I want to get one that is good and they’re not easy to come by.
“Trailers can be expensive, even a basic one will cost around £4,000.”
David also has men working for him and has had to lay them off for a few weeks as he cannot operate.
He said: “It’s not nice because one lad has a family and a house and I don’t want to do that but I don’t have a choice.”
The unexpected cost has come at the wrong time for David, as the country is currently in a cost-of-living crisis.
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He said: “People have to ask themselves if cutting a tree is a priority, because fuel is expensive and that comes out of the job as well.
“Business is good usually, I don’t need to advertise because either it’s word of mouth or repeat jobs.”
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