October 6, 2015 11.48 am This story is over 100 months old

Video: Man caught on CCTV stealing valuable tortoises from Lincoln reptile store

Investigation ongoing: A Lincoln pet shop owner has urged police to track down a man caught on CCTV stealing two tortoises worth hundreds of pounds.

A Lincoln pet shop owner has urged police to track down a man caught on CCTV stealing two tortoises worth hundreds of pounds.

Footage from the Lincoln Reptile & Pet Centre on Newark Road, at around 10.45am on September 11, shows a man in his mid to late 30s casually walk into the store and pick up the two tortoises, before leaving.

He was wearing a black baseball cap, grey top, dark jacket, dark trousers and dark grey trainers.

The man captured on CCTV stealing the tortoises

The man captured on CCTV stealing the tortoises

The owners contacted Lincolnshire Police on the same day, but it was when they shared the footage on their Facebook page on October 5 that several local residents came forward with information.

Hundreds of people shared and commented on the story, with a number of people giving the name of the thief to the owners confidentially.

A regular customer at the store spoke to the man as he left, and is also said to be in a position to identify him.

Lincolnshire Police are continuing to investigate the incident and have been made aware of the name and address of the person believed to be in the video.

One of the tortoises that was stolen from the Lincoln Reptile & Pet Centre

One of the tortoises that was stolen from the Lincoln Reptile & Pet Centre

Alyss Dickinson, one of the owners of Lincoln Reptile & Pet Centre, said: “It’s really upsetting that someone could actually do something so low and steal two of our tortoises just to sell them on and make some easy money.

“Obviously we’re very concerned for their welfare, especially as a lot of people do not know the difference between tortoises and turtles. Tortoises live on land and turtles in water, so we’re concerned that our tortoises have been put in water by the thieves.

“But I can’t thank people enough for their support – we’ve had such a fantastic response from people coming back to us with the same name of the person who did this. Hopefully, now the police will be able to act.”

Police are investigating the theft and would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a man matching that description or anyone who may have been offered the animal for sale.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Lincolnshire Police on 101 quoting incident 152 of September 11.