Kennet Furniture Refurbiz, known as KFR, said one of the vehicles used at its Swindon location was targeted overnight.
Police were called following the latest incident, which the charity believes was an attempted theft of the vehicle’s catalytic converter.
KFR said catalytic converters were successfully stolen from vehicles at its Swindon operation on two previous occasions this year.
It claims each incident cost between £3,000 and £4,000 when repairs, replacement parts, vehicle hire, lost use and extra security measures were taken into account.
In a Facebook post, KFR said:
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
“Last night, someone tried to steal the catalytic converter from our vehicle.
“This is now the THIRD attempted theft this year.
“The last two times, the converters were successfully stolen. Each incident cost our small charity around £3000-£4000 once repairs, replacement parts, lost use of the vehicle, hiring a lease vehicle and additional security measures were taken into account.”
KFR said the latest suspected attempt was unsuccessful after the charity was alerted and police attended.
It added:
“Thankfully, this time we were alerted quickly. The police responded rapidly and, because of the additional security measures we’ve had to put in place, the offenders didn’t manage to remove the catalytic converter.
“However despite this, it is still a violation.”
The charity said the repeated incidents at its Swindon operation have also taken up staff time through insurance claims, repairs, police reports and additional security work.
KFR said:
“For a large organisation, that might be an unfortunate expense but for a small charity like ours, that is money that should be going into our provision fund and helping our community.
“It helps us support people. It keeps our services running. It helps us give more to the people who need us.”
KFR collects donated furniture and white goods, refurbishing items where possible before making them available at affordable prices.
It also provides furniture and essential household items to people experiencing hardship.
The organisation has an established operation in Devizes and expanded into Swindon when Upcycle Swindon became part of KFR.
KFR says its work also helps prevent reusable furniture and household goods from being sent to landfill. No individual has been identified by the charity as being responsible for the latest incident.
Police have been approached for further information.
