Tools stolen from vans and sheds are being sold at Dublin market

An undercover investigation by RTÉ's Prime Time broadcast has shown how tools bought at a market in Balbriggan, north county Dublin, had previously been reported stolen in Ireland as well as the UK.

Tool thefts have become an increasing problem, with the level of thefts forcing some people out of business.

One tradesman was staying in a hotel in the Tyrrelstown area in west Dublin and had €60,000 worth of tools and equipment taken from his van.

A self-employed roofer, based in Ballymun, previously told Independent.ie how equipment worth over €4,000 was taken from his van while he worked.

He received a tip-off that his tools would be on sale at the Balbriggan market and bought them back for €1,500 the following weekend.

John O'Driscoll, assistant Commissioner with Special Crime Operations told Prime Time reporter Fran Nulty:

"Markets are places where we are aware that property is being sold. We are on a continuous basis targeting tools of this nature. "To go to a market and identify property that you believe is rightly yours, that is certainly a sensible approach.

"Markets take place all over the country and it involves people setting up stalls. There doesn't need to be any difficult interaction in identifying property. If somebody sees property in an open market that is theirs, I think it is common sense that they contact gardai."

Plumber Aaron Smith has been faced with a similar situation and knows of others who have also had tools stolen from them.

He said: "Within the last year, I have four workmates whose vans have been broken into. A tiler, a carpenter friend, an electrician and myself. That’s a lot of people in a close circle of contractors that it is happening to.

"And I went down after my tools because I was out of work for a week and I couldn’t afford to go out. It was €15,000 worth of tools taken and I couldn’t afford to go out straight away and spend the €15,000. I’ve been building them up over the ten years I have been out on my own."

At one market, secretly filmed footage shows tens of thousands of euro worth of high value equipment for sale.