A FATHER who had his garage broken into in the middle of the night has criticised police after they gave him a £90 bill for securing it.

Dad-of-three Dominic Wright was stunned when he was billed for the work which police arranged to be carried out without telling him at the garage in Cope Bank, Smithills.

The 46-year-old woke the morning after the break-in, in which an old computer, printer and TV were stolen, to find a note from police slipped through the door.

Mr Wright, his wife Sharon and their children were not disturbed by the incident and discovered it had happened only the next day — after the door had been secured.

Mr Wright said police had told him they had tried to wake him but got no response, explaining why they arranged the repair without telling him.

But he was left fuming when an an invoice for £87 arrived in the post for him to pay.

Mr Wright, who has not yet paid the bill to the firm used by police to carry out the work, said: “I feel like the one that has been robbed here. I wasn’t too bothered about the computer and the printer, they are just in there with a lot of other junk that is stored there.

"And the only reason the TV was in there was that it did not work.

“But to be charged £90 for a block of timber, after I have spent time helping with their enquiries is a bit much.”

A spokesman for the police said their usual practice was to arrange for premises to be secured if the owner cannot be contacted, which is paid for by them and can be included in an insurance claim.

The stolen items were found in some allotments down the road and returned to Mr Wright, during which time he had liaised with police and provided information in a bid to catch the culprit.

Mr Wright added: "Through no fault of my own I have been hit with a big bill.

"The police never told me I would have to pay. The first I heard of it was when the invoice came from the sub-contractor.

"I spoke with the police who investigated it and they just said we tried to wake you, but could not, so we had to get the place secured.

"They say, pay for it on the insurance, but the goods were not worth much and it's not worth me paying the excess."

Mr Wright said the bill had come at the worst possible time, given he and wife Sharon are buying Christmas presents for their three sons, Jonathan, aged 15, Alex, aged 11, and Matthew, aged eight.

Mr Wright added: "We want to buy some nice presents for the kids and make Christmas special, so all our money is accounted for."

A police spokesman said: "If a stakeholder cannot be contacted then Greater Manchester Police will arrange for an independent company to attend and secure the premises in order to prevent any further robbery or damages from taking place.

"The cost incurred by this is then passed on to the key stakeholders who are free to include it as part of their insurance claim for damages caused by the burglary.”

Police have made no arrests so far in relation to the break-in.

Anyone with information about the incident on Sunday, October 26, can call Bolton north neighbourhood policing team on 0161 8565761.