A LANDSCAPING company's vans were targeted twice on the same night and around £1,000 of tools stolen, before audacious thieves tried to return for more.

Green Frog Landscaping, based in Over Hulton, had two vans targeted on the same night in two different locations.

Thieves got away with tools including strimmers and hedge cutters from a Peugeot Partner parked in Westleigh Lane, Leigh on March 11.

On the same night, thieves smashed the window of a Citroen Berlingo parked in Newbrook Road, Atherton but were unable to get into the back.

About two weeks later thieves were again spotted on CCTV looking in the driveway of the Newbrook Road property.

Abigail Rizzotti, aged 30, who runs Green Frog with her husband said: "It wasn't scary, it was blood boiling that they had the cheek to come back and try again."

Mrs Rizzotti said: "They cleaned the van out in Leigh, smashed the glass and unlocked the back doors.

"The cleaned out the tools and tried the same crime on the same night on another van but couldn't get in because the locking mechanism is different."

Mrs Rizzotti said they saw the thieves on their CCTV and both crimes were reported to the police and the footage was given to officers.

On March 26 Mrs Rizzotti was told by a neighbour that some men had been leafleting around the area late at night.

She said: "A neighbour was round at ours and said there were a couple of lads posting leaflets at 11pm which was a bit late, and they were hanging around our driveway.

"We checked our CCTV and it was the same thieves we got on our CCTV when they tried to break in the first time.

"The CCTV shows these lads posting leaflets but being selective about which houses they go to and they linger around our driveway until our vehicle unlocks itself."

Mrs Rizzotti believes the thieves were then able to make a copy of the key fob code for the van, allowing it to be unlocked remotely.

She said: "It looks like they have used a box to record the code of the fob and they've been checking it works.

"They didn't take anything that night because we were in and our neighbour was watching but ever since we make sure we have done everything we can to stop them coming back, they could come back anytime.

"It's annoying, I feel safe but those nights we stayed up to keep an eye on the van, especially because the bank holiday was coming and we knew we'd not be able to get anything fixed."

Mrs Rizzotti has been in touch with other companies in the area and says the same men have been seen on CCTV breaking into vans in the same way.

The family have contacted police about the break-ins.