A RIDE-ON floor cleaner worth £10,000 was stolen overnight from a devastated business owner.

Nathan Barham had left his brand new scrubber dryer securely tightened and hidden away at a farm off High Road, in Hockley, when callous thieves struck.

They made off with the seated cleaner, which he had only bought the week before.

The 29-year-old, from Rochford, said: “I hadn’t had it long so it was like an exciting little toy for me.

"I’ve never spent so much on basically anything in my life, so I kept checking on it to make sure everything was okay.

“I went there in the day on Tuesday, tied the cover down with rope and went on with my day. The next morning I came back to check on it on my way to work and it was gone.

“I was completely beside myself and immediately felt sick. I was in total shock and just couldn’t believe it.”

He added: “I’m so confused how they even got it out without lifting it, you could probably walk quicker than this thing drives.

“There were three locks and a massive wheel clamp on it and it weighs over a tonne, it took me half an hour just to get it into the spot it was being kept in.

"It was left hidden and completely covered up, I even locked it down onto the trailer, which they took as well.

“This is something I rely on for work. By trade my company is Barham Tree Services, but we use the scrubber driver to jet wash and clean the floors at Tobacco Dock, an event venue in London.

“We’ve only just signed a four year contract with them which was literally a dream come true and we couldn’t believe our luck, but I’m now worried that without this I won’t be able to work.

“Now I’m paying off something I can’t even use. It’s worth £10,000 and the trailer is worth £2,500. We’re a small business and this is my income, which has just been taken away.

“Please help us. The vehicle was taken between 4pm on Tuesday and 7.30am on Wednesday last week.”

Call 101 quoting crime reference number 42/39101/20.