VIDEO: ‘I couldn’t believe how brazen he was’-woman robbed of her gazebo as she went indoors to open back gate.

A Hornchurch woman was shocked to discover her gazebo stolen from her property literally minutes after placing the item along her side passage and going indoors to open her back gate.

Marie who lives on Harwood Avenue, had returned from shopping in Asda with her friend and had placed the gazebo along her side passage to go indoors and open her back gate to bring it in her garden when neighbours informed her that a man had walked up her path way and taken it.

Marie told the Havering Daily: “We pulled up on the drive and I placed the gazebo along the side passage and then went in doors to open my back gate. My neighbour then told me some guy has just taken your gazebo.

“I couldn’t believe how brazen he was. The builder across the road saw him do it and started to film him. The thief swore at him and his son spat at him and they drove off.

“This man is a thief, he’s been along our road before. He used to come with a woman in a van with foreign plates and we had them banned from coming down our road. Now he knows we look out for his van so he has bought a Ford Galaxy to use instead.”

Following the recent spate of robberies residents living along Harwood Avenue have formed their own whats app group where they share information to help each other out.

“One of the residents here has a double buggy for her children. A few weeks ago she came back from shopping and placed her children in doors and the shopping and had to leave the buggy outside for a minute as it is so big it doesn’t fit through the front door. She then went through the back to open the side gate and bring it when she realised it has been stolen.

“She was so upset. We had to start up a go fund me page to get her a new one. A bike was stolen as well and chairs. It’s been terrible. These people really don’t care.”

Marie had bought the gazebo for her birthday party on Saturday and now is really angry at just how brazen the thieves are.

“We are very proud of our road here. We keep our road clean and look after each other. Lisa Schofield is a Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator and she does a great job. It’s such a shame people like this have to come here and rob us of our belongings in broad daylight like this.”

Marie set up a petition last year to get more police officers on the streets of Havering. She bought the petition to number 10 Downing Street with the help of her local councillor Damian White.

“Councillor White has been very supportive of us and has helped us trying to get more police officers. It’s just a shame that people clearly don’t care and just want to rob others of their belongings.”