BRAZEN thieves have made off with more than £5,000-worth of balance boards from a Kilwinning car garage.

The thieves struck last Monday (December 7) and smashed their way in with crowbars to the Vehicle Trade Centre, next door to Bridgend Garage in Irvine Road, before snatching 20 of the balance boards.

The boards - which weigh 15 kilogrammes each - are worth at least £250 a piece, but some can be as expensive as £500.

Manager Leigh McAvoy asked residents to report anyone who they suspect of selling on the stolen boards.

He said: "They came in the early hours of the morning and smashed the windows to get in. They have stolen 20 balance boards which they will easily be able to sell on, maybe even to someone local, so I would ask the people of Kilwinning to be vigilant and if anyone tries to sell you one of these to please report it."

The company's CCTV picked up video footage of three masked men carrying out the raid and shows them making off with the balance boards.

One of the brazen thieves even stops midway through the raid to send a text message.

The video footage also shows a black or dark-coloured Vauxhall Insignia driving around outside the premises at the time of the theft.

Mr McAvoy said as well as the £5,000 loss from the cost of the boards, the company have also had to fork out to repair the damage the thieves done to the premises.

He said: "We have had to replace the two windows and they crowbarred the door getting through to the main showroom. We have also had to replace locks and tighten our security, which all comes at a price."

Ayrshire Police division have appealed for the people of Kilwinning to report anything suspicious.

A spokeswoman said: "We received a report of a high value theft in the Vehicle Trade Centre in Irvine Road, Kilwinning. The theft happened sometime between Sunday, December 6 and Monday December 7 and involved a large number of balance boards being taken from the premises.

"We are appealing for witnesses to the crime and would ask any one who receives an offer to buy one of these balance boards under suspicious circumstances to call 101 and report it to police."