Sat Nav theft could cost lives (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Sat Nav theft could cost lives

2:33pm Thursday 23rd November 2006 in News

The theft of a satellite navigation system from a parked car could cost lives, the owner has warned.

The £400 item was taken from Chance Street, Tewkesbury, on Sunday evening.

The car belongs to Ben Wilson, who is a member of the Mercia Inshore Rescue Service, and he uses the equipment to get to river-based emergencies quickly.

He said: "I only moved to Tewkesbury recently so do not know the area well.

"When we get called out to an emergency we use our own vehicles to get there. It is often in an out of the way place, and I simply punch the postcode I am given into the machine and it directs me there.

"If I have to stop and look at a map, or radio for directions that slows me down and those few extra minutes could mean the difference between life and death."

He has just bought a house and cannot afford to replace the item. Thieves used a lump of tarmac to smash the car window and take the equipment.