This is the bizarre moment a shameless thief stole two ‘worthless’ hanging baskets and nearly lost his tracksuit bottoms as he ran away.
The extraordinary CCTV footage shows the thug approaching the home in Telford, Shropshire, before moving in on the low-cost garden essentials.
As the man – dressed in a grey tracksuit – gets to the front door of the detached house, he is seen grabbing hold of the baskets, which are on either side of the front door.
After briefly checking to see that no one has spotted him, the brazen thief is filmed making a run for it – as his bottoms start to slip down his legs..
The extraordinary CCTV footage shows the thug approaching the home in Telford, Shropshire, before moving in on the low-cost garden essentials
As the man – dressed in a grey tracksuit – gets to the front door of the detached house, he is seen grabbing hold of the baskets, which are on either side of the front door
The green-fingered scoundrel calmly removes the hanging baskets from their hooks before scarpering back down the road
He then runs towards the woods, with the hanging baskets still in each arm.
Victim David Bellamy, 48, was left ‘baffled and confused’ by the incident at his home – which has since been viewed over 700,000 times on Facebook.
The quality manager said: ‘It’s a really strange thing to have happen to you, I can’t get my head around it.
‘Of all the things you could take, why on earth would you steal hanging baskets?
‘It makes no sense whatsoever to me, but perhaps this is the sort of thing these people get a kick from.
‘I wasn’t at home when it happened, but some neighbours saw it. They posted a note through my letter box, which I got when I arrived back home.
Victim David Bellamy said: ‘It makes no sense whatsoever to me, but perhaps this is the sort of thing these people get a kick from’
Mr Bellamy added: ‘I wasn’t at home when it happened, but some neighbours saw it. They posted a note through my letter box, which I got when I arrived back home’
‘I instantly went to check the security camera, and that was when I saw the footage. I couldn’t believe it at all.
‘Those baskets weren’t expensive, they’re effectively worthless as they don’t have any sentimental value to me, so it’s not the greatest loss.
‘But it’s a matter of principle, you can’t just come and steal someone else’s property.
‘I released the video because I wanted to raise awareness for people to be vigilant, to prevent the same thing from happening to them.
‘I certainly didn’t expect it to be viewed as many times as it has, but it’s great that the word is getting out there now.
He then runs towards the woods, with the hanging baskets still in each arm West Mercia Police are appealing for information
‘I think the fact that you can see his trousers starting to fall off as he runs away is what’s helped to make it so successful online.’
David reported the strange incident to police, who are now investigating.
A spokesperson from West Mercia Police said: ‘Officers are currently making a number of enquiries, including reviewing CCTV, in an attempt to identify and speak to the suspect.
‘Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 410s of 29 August.
‘Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via their website www.crimestoppers-uk.org.’