Stores have been warned to protect their vehicles after a van laden with goods was stolen from Crown Cash and Carry in Ruislip, London.

The incident on 21 December at 10:30am, captured on CCTV shows at least three men in a blue Hyundai I20 stalking a van loading up with spirits directly in front of the depot’s main entrance.

A thief initially entered the driver’s side unnoticed and allegedly took a bag of cash back to the blue i20. With the keys left in the ignition, the thief returns and again enters the driver’s side unnoticed. Attempting to take the van, he careers into what appears to be a G4S security van and another car. Two men pursue the stolen vehicle with one narrowly avoiding being struck down by it as the robbers made their escape.

The brazen incident at Crown Cash and Carry, owned by Wise Trading Ltd, occurred in peak trading hours. The site is in a busy town centre less than 100m from South Ruislip London Underground station. When asked for further information, the wholesaler said nobody was available to comment on the incident at that moment.

In October, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors warned that theft from retailers at cash and carries has ‘become commonplace’, revealing it had also noticed rising tobacco thefts from wholesaler vehicles.