A ROAD haulier says the wheels are threatening to come off his business because of a group of Black Country thieves who have stolen trailers worth £30,000.

Raiders have stolen four trailers laden with 85 tonnes of steel from Tony Quartermann's yard at Hoo Farm Industrial Estate, Kidderminster, in only five weeks.

Mr Quartermann said similar firms across the county had also been targeted as well as another in Ludlow.

He and his brother Richard, who have 22 lorries and 30 trailers, have another yard in Great Witley which has also suffered a spate of burglaries, including break-ins involving nine vehicles at Christmas.

"This gang is targeting the area and doing a very professional job," he said.

"They come with tractor units, pull the barriers down, pick up our trailers and drive away."

Mr Quartermann suspects the gang has Black Country origins as three of the four trailers stolen from Kidderminster had been recovered in Wolverhampton and Walsall, with two of them stacked neatly on top of each other.

In a further blow, the pair have just been handed a hefty insurance bill after thieves shed five tonnes of steel on to railings as they drove round a traffic island in Tipton during one of the getaways.

He added: "We think we know who is stealing them from Great Witley because they have tried to flog the items in pubs and at car boot sales, but we haven't caught them in the act yet."

Mike Farmer of the Road Hauliers' Association said members had considered hiring private security at a recent meeting, but no measures had yet been installed.

Kidderminster Police confirmed the thefts had been reported and they were being investigated.