A businessman targeted by thieves twice in the space of a month is offering a £10,000 reward for information.

Lee Pleasance owns and rents out a set of 26 lock-up garages. Thieves first targeted them at the beginning of June and used a gas torch to cut through hinges.

They did not get in, but sparks set the contents of one of the garages, at the back of Sunnymead Avenue, Gillingham, on fire.

According to Mr Pleasance, it caused damage costing thousands of pounds.

The 44-year-old upped security, including CCTV cameras, after that.

However, during the early hours of Tuesday, thieves returned, got inside one of the garages and stole some £4,000 worth of tools.

Mr Pleasance said: “The alarms sounded at 4.16am.

“I stuck my head out of my bedroom window and could see the sparks and glowing molten metal dripping down.

“They used an acetylene torch again, but this time they must have been practising their cutting skills as they got in.

“I dialled 999 and ran out there. Within three minutes they had emptied the contents of the garage and were gone.

“They took about £4,000 worth of tools and the damage they caused will cost about £1,000 to repair.”

A glitch in the CCTV system meant the culprits were not caught on camera, but Mr Pleasance says he is determined not to be beaten by them.

“They need to know there will not be a next time and the CCTV will be working,” he said. “I think it was the same people who tried to get in last time as they came back to exactly the same garage.

“I’m putting up the £10,000 reward again for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever did it.”

A spokeswoman for police in Medway said no arrests had been made in relation to the first attempted break-in and they were still investigating the second incident.

“Police were alerted to the incident at 4.20am on Tuesday, July 7, and inquiries are ongoing,” she said.