'Heartbroken': Napier contractors hit hard as thieves make clean getaway with sanitisers

Napier contracting business M J Cave Contracting Ltd staff Cailen Daly and Adam Smale cleaning their hands from one of the work utes before the theft. Photo / Supplied

Thieves who stole hand sanitiser, soaps, sprays and detergents from a Napier contracting company made a clean getaway, leaving workers now struggling trying to comply with level 3 restrictions.

Raynae Cave, co-owner of M J Cave Contracting Ltd, said her 16 staff members relied on the santising products, and the theft had left her "heart-broken".

The business, which specialises in orchard development projects, is in the process of a steel development at an orchard in Meanee.

As well as equipment sanitisers, work boots and tools were taken from one of the company utes outside her Peddie St home in Napier, likely after 11pm on Monday when her outdoor lights went off.

"We have a few work utes at the end of our driveway which have a lock-up lid," she said.

"The buggers have somehow got into there and gone through everything and taken what they wanted.

Cave said the biggest kick in the teeth was the loss of water storage containers full of soap, sanitiser, sprays and detergents for killing viruses and bacteria.

"We actually cannot go to work with this amount of people if we don't have that on site."

"We use them to wash down all of our tools, so we are actually able to do our job. If somebody is using a bit of equipment, then it has to be cleaned down before the next person touches it."

Police said they received a report of work equipment that had been taken from a ute in Napier at some point overnight.

Cave said it was pretty hard to source the products stolen.

"We cant walk into a store and get it and every business in Hawke's Bay is trying to get the same stuff," she said.

"All of our guys over the lockdown were looking forward to working and getting wages again to start getting on top of bills and so on – so it's the last thing we needed."

Cavesaid even work boots were stolen during the break-in.

"Part of the rules are that they have to take their work gear off before going home," she said. "They leave their boots in the trucks, so that is another big problem.

"We cant be on site without the safety of boots and so on."

"We also use digital levels when we are putting structures up, which are quite expensive, and drills too – both of which were stolen.

"I have no idea why they would take that stuff."

A police spokeswoman said police are in the initial stages of making enquiries.