A couple in Bracknell have been left devastated after a van belonging to one of them was broken into. 

Briony Jayne Coates and Al Broad were enjoying an evening drink at the Rackstraws Farm Beefeater on Yorktown Road in Sandhurst on June 3 at around 7:30 pm. 

When they left the restaurant a few hours later, they discovered to their horror that Mr Broad's van had been broken into and a number of valuable workmen's tools had been stolen. 

Ms Coates said that the whole experience was awful, and a horrible way to end what would have been a lovely evening together. 

After this happened, the couple decided to post their experience on Facebook to raise awareness for car and van theft in the area. 

Subsequently, many members of the community have expressed how similar occurrences have happened to them in the same, or similar, locations. 

Ms Coates wrote the following statement to Facebook: 

"So yet again my partner's van has been robbed. it also happened in May last year.

"We decided to go down Rackstars tonight for a drink we headed their about 7:30pm ish and we decided to leave probably about half 9/10 o’clock.

"I'm only writing this post so others are aware and they can keep an eye out for their cars/vans or go check on them and make sure they haven’t lost anything already tonight."

Ms Coates expressed how this kind of thing has been frequently happening in the area and has urged people to come forward who may have seen something.

She continued "I really wished something would be done one upset boyfriend and a horrible way to end a lovely night together! Hopefully the police will sort it out this time."

Dozens flocked to the comment section of the post to share their experiences with car and van theft, especially regarding stolen tools. 

One person said "Was this done at the Rackstraws? Premier Inn's and travel lodges are well known for tool thefts. As lots of tradesmen use them for work, they are primary targets for tool-stealing scum.

"I know this isn't helpful for you now, but the more people that complain to the business, the more chance that they might upgrade their security/cctv to a useful deterrent level.

"The only thing you can do now is keep a lookout on Marketplace and local bootsales. Police won't act if you find them, but you may be able to cause fuss there and get them back."