Warning over stolen boiler haul

Gas engineers have been urged to be on alert for stolen appliances after thieves made off with a haul of 180 Sime boilers.

Some arrests have been made after a number of boilers were spotted on an online auction site. However, Sime has set up a helpline so people can check they have not unwittingly purchased one of the stolen appliances, which would not, of course, be covered by warranty.
The Murelle HE EV boilers were on a trailer owned by SIME's logistics partner, Ferry International, when they were taken over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, despite CCTV and on-site security. Two stolen commercial wehicles were used to shift the boilers.

The boilers included 140 Murelle HE EV (80 x 30kw combi, 10 x 25kw combi and 50 x 35kw combi models) and 40 Ecomfort Plus 30kw appliances. Flues and other accessories were also stolen.

Sime's MD, Paul Linely, said: "Our database lists the serial number of each and every boiler we have imported from our italian manufacturing facility into the UK from 2003. This includes the stolen 180, and by working in conjunction with the police we have traced the serial numbers on boilers for auction on a number of popular websites and arrests have already been made.
"As the warranty of all Sime appliances is directly linked to Gas Safe Register we can also cross check the data received from the register when an appliance is installed. This means we can either validate the product serial number and details or contact the end-user to inform them of the unfortunate facts and pass the details to the police investigating team."

To validate the serial number of a Murelle HE EV or Ecomfort Plus appliance, contact Sime customer service representative Sarah Rogers, on 01977 521991 Monday to Friday, 8.30am-5pm.

 

 

Source - Gas Safe Register 

Posted Date: 02nd Jun 2010