Appeal to Reunite Stolen Tools with Owners After Large Seizure in Hythe

Police are appealing to the public for help in identifying the rightful owners of a large number of suspected stolen tools recovered in the Hythe area last year.

Officers from Hampshire Police say the items were seized during enquiries in Hythe and they are now working to return them to the tradespeople they were taken from.

The recovered equipment includes dozens of power tools and accessories from well-known brands such as Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Stihl, Honda and Black & Decker.

Among the items recovered are multiple drills and impact drivers, circular saws, SDS drills, reciprocating saws, nail guns, sanders, batteries and chargers. Outdoor equipment including chainsaws, strimmers, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers were also seized, along with radios and a Honda inverter generator.

Police say the images released show only some of the tools recovered, with the full list including more than 60 items. Officers believe many of them may have been stolen from builders, tradespeople or contractors working across the area.

Investigators are now asking anyone who had tools stolen before Thursday 25 September 2025 to check the images and descriptions to see if any could belong to them.

Anyone who believes the items may be theirs – or recognises them as belonging to someone they know – is asked to contact the local policing team by emailing southampton.east.police@hampshire.police.uk and quoting incident number 44250409974.

Police say owners will be asked to provide evidence such as serial numbers, model numbers or other identifying features to confirm the tools belong to them.

Officers hope the appeal will help reunite tradespeople with equipment that could be worth thousands of pounds collectively.

Anyone with information is encouraged to get in touch as soon as possible.

The full list of the seized items below:

Makita 18V drill / Makita dual port twin rapid charger / DeWalt impact drill / DeWalt tool box / Makita SDS drill / Stihl disc saw / Makita multitool / Makita cordless drill / Paslode nail gun box / Makita 18V impact driver / Makita tool box & battery charger / DeWalt batteries / Milwaukee batteries / Makita batteries / DeWalt hammer drill / DeWalt Pump / DeWalt saw / DeWalt 54V circular saw / DeWalt 18V circular saw / Evolution 400W precision sander / Black & Decker mini belt sander / DeWalt SDS drill / DeWalt leaf blower / DeWalt 18V planer / DeWalt multi tool / DeWalt 18V impact driver / DeWalt 54V sander / DeWalt 18V 5AH hammer drill / DeWalt 18V recip saw / Dewalt biscuit joiner / Makita circular saw / Milwaukee M18 circular saw / DeWalt 18V high torque impact wrench / Bosch professional GBH / DeWalt 18V drill / Makita 18V hoover / Dewalt charger / Honda inverter 20i / DeWalt radio / Makita radio / Stihl power tool / Stihl strimmer / DeWalt chainsaw / DeWalt 18V chainsaw / Stihl circulaw saw / Stihl strimmer / Honda strimmer / Stihl chainsaw / Stihl leaf blower / Stihl hedge trimmer / DeWalt saw / DeWalt hammer drill / DeWalt recip saw / DeWalt multi tool / DeWalt jigsaw / DeWalt 18V disc cutter / DeWalt detail sander / DeWalt hammer drill / DeWalt torch / DeWalt circular saw