A Bucks MP wants serial numbers to be put on power tools and equipment when being advertised on websites.
Greg Smith, who is the MP for Buckingham, has called for the legislation to be introduced to prevent stolen items from being sold.
Serial numbers on the equipment will enable the authorities to alert the potential perpetrators and help victims locate and retrieve their goods.
Thousands of power tools have been stolen across the country
He called for the law change to combat the growing problem of the crime, which has impacted many people across the country.
Speaking on Tuesday, April 27, he said: "New legislation is needed to tackle this growing crisis for tradespeople.
“Overnight livelihoods are being lost as tools are stolen halfway through a job or even worse, at the start of a project.
“A worrying amount of people never get their tools back and suffer devastating setbacks to their work as a result.
"This is a particularly serious problem for the residents of Buckingham, my constituency, with thieves targeting parked vans.
“The problem has become so large that a Parliamentary Petition was raised in 2018 with over 40,000 signatures raising the awareness.
"We need to take urgent action now."
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Figures from boilerguide.co.uk (March 2020) have revealed the following:
• In the UK, a van is broken into every 23 minutes
• 50 per cent of tradespeople have been a victim of van crime on more than one occasion
• Average value of van theft now stands at £1,692
• £94,521,600 was the total cost to tradespeople in 2016 (according to Trade Direct)
• 50 per cent of victims weren’t able to work the following day, costing at least £500 in earnings
And according to Direct Line Business (February 2020), more than £83m worth of tools have been stolen from tradespeople since 2017.
If you’re a tradesperson and are worried on the safety of your tools, click here.
Also, click www.directlineforbusiness.co.uk for more information.
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