West Lothian crime: 1,700 historical drawings worth £500k destroyed after stolen van set on fire
The drawings were from the Royal Engineers Museum.
Historical drawings worth around £500,000 have been destroyed after a van was stolen in Livingston.
A silver Ford Transit with the registration number VRM SG16SUF containing the drawings was stolen from Heron Square around 11.30pm on Wednesday, November 19, while it was parked and locked.
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Police have said the van was then traced in the Ratho area on Thursday, November 20, where it was found to have been stripped of parts and set alight.
It is understood there were 1,700 historical drawings from the Royal Engineers Museum within the van when it was destroyed.
Enquiries so far have found a man wearing a face covering was seen entering the vehicle and driving eastbound on the A89 towards Newbridge shortly after 11.30pm on the Wednesday.
Officers appeal for information
Constable Teri McEwan said: “We’re conducting extensive enquiries into this incident and officers are working their way through CCTV and visiting nearby properties.
“I am now asking anyone with information, or anyone who saw someone acting suspiciously in the area around the time, to get in touch with us.
“If you have private CCTV, doorbell or dash-cam footage, please also review this and bring anything which may assist the investigation to our attention.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference CR/0489211/25. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.