THIEVES wrecked plans to redevelop a garage after spotting an £11,000 canopy lying on the forecourt.

The large open-sided canopy had been bought by Lodge Hill Garage, near Abingdon, and would have doubled its covered car sales area.

A crane was needed on Tuesday to unload the white canopy, which weighed 1.5 tonnes and had been ordered from France.

The garage had recently been given planning permission to install the roofing.

But when workers arrived the next morning to erect the canopy, they found that all the steel posts had been stolen.

Sales manager Anton Bazylkiewicz said: “When it was offloaded from the delivery vehicle, we could not get it into the showroom, so it had to be left outside for just one night.

“But thieves got into the containers and took all the steel parts, presumably to sell for scrap.”

The owner of the garage, Peter Jewson, said he had spent two years trying to acquire planning permission for the open-sided canopy.

It would have provided 10,000sq ft of covered and lit-up space on the side of the existing showroom, close to the A34 north Abingdon turn-off.

He said the canopy was a key feature in the rebranding of the garage, which is to sell quality second-hand cars, including BMWs and Mercedes. A petrol station has already been moved from the site.

Mr Jewson, who lives in Boars Hill, said cars had been positioned to block the canopy from sight overnight.

He added: “I really cannot work out how the thieves managed it. The steel poles would have been very heavy to shift.”

He said the police had been informed, and he was now faced with reordering costly parts from France, delaying plans to open the improved facilities for customers.

Anyone with information should call police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.