Watch: CCTV shows men helping themselves to air conditioning units at Portsmouth business

A businessman was shocked when he realised two brazen people had walked into his warehouse and helped themselves to air conditioning units worth hundreds of pounds each.
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Bruce Chau is the general manager at Beyond Acoustic at Pioneer Park, off Portfield Road in Portsmouth.

The company imports goods from abroad – it started with music and lighting equipment but now deals with many types of products.

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The low loader that the air conditioning units were driven off in Picture: Beyond AcousticThe low loader that the air conditioning units were driven off in Picture: Beyond Acoustic
The low loader that the air conditioning units were driven off in Picture: Beyond Acoustic
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On Wednesday morning, CCTV shows two men driving into the business park in a white low-loader, and then wandering into Beyond Acoustic’s warehouse.

After having a look around, they helped themselves to two packaged-up air conditioning units – which Mr Chau says sell for £599 each – put them on the low-loader and then drove off.

The units were Lexent Sprint portable air conditioners.

Mr Chau said that the men were both short-haired and stockily built. Both looked like they were in their 30s. One wore a dark T-shirt and dark trousers, and the other a light-coloured T-shirt and dark shorts.

Two men walked into the warehouse of Beyond Acoustic in Pioneer Park, Portfield Road, Portsmouth and took two portable air conditioning units on Wednesday morning 
Picture: Beyond AcousticTwo men walked into the warehouse of Beyond Acoustic in Pioneer Park, Portfield Road, Portsmouth and took two portable air conditioning units on Wednesday morning 
Picture: Beyond Acoustic
Two men walked into the warehouse of Beyond Acoustic in Pioneer Park, Portfield Road, Portsmouth and took two portable air conditioning units on Wednesday morning Picture: Beyond Acoustic

He said: ‘They took the units from a pallet before loading them and driving off. Their truck was white, had red and yellow chevrons on the tailgate and empty pallets in the back. We have good CCTV and images from two angles.’

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A police spokesman said officers are looking into the incident, and confirmed it had been reported as a theft.

He said: ‘We received a report of a theft from a business premises on Portfield Road at around 8.05am on Wednesday.

‘It is reported that two men were seen to remove two air-con units from a pallet, before fleeing the area in a vehicle.

‘No arrests have been made, but enquiries remain ongoing to ascertain the exact circumstances around the incident.’

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Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting 44220312388.

Mr Chau added that the sales of air conditioning units have taken off this summer.

He said: ‘Last month, in two days we sold 600 on the Amazon Prime days, plus in just one week we sold more than 1,000. They are becoming very popular even before the very hot weather that we had.’