The 2.5 metre-high gates busted off their hinges only confirmed the worse fears for the owner of Anderson Automotives in Sagewick Place.

The Southern Highland News understands that police later found an abandoned Nissan 4WD, believed stolen from Mittagong, but could not confirm if it was the same vehicle driven through the wire mesh steel gates sometime between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

It appears the thieves have reversed the car into the front wall of the colorbond steel building and tied a chain around a grey safe.

Mr Anderson said the safe weighed about 600kg, “The size of a small car,” he said.

“They have dragged it behind the car, out the front gates, and out onto Lackey Road. You can see the gouge marks down the driveway and on the road. The dial was also broken off the front of the safe.”

Mr Anderson believes that the thieves would have had to use some sort of forklift to load the safe to take it away.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Monday, July 21

leah.obrien@ruralpress.com