Someone's out to get me - cab boss

A Dell computer, Epson printer, a Sharp fax machine and telephones were stolen from Dave's Taxis, South Coast Road, in the early hours of Friday.

Vehicle tyres were let down, lights smashed and engines tampered with.

Owner Dave Milward believes his driver, who was manning the office alone, was lured away by a series of calls for cabs in the Brighton area. When he returned at around 3.15am he found the office stripped of all it electrical equipment.

Mr Milward, who has run a taxi firm in Peacehaven for 23 years, said: 'Someone is trying to put me out of business. Whoever did this got my driver out of the office with calls. Then they took my phones, computer and fax machine.'

He had lost hundreds of pounds in business because customers were unable to get through by telephone and estimated it would cost in excess of 5,000 to replace the office equipment and repair his vehicles.

Readers with any information about the break-in can call police on 0845 6070999.

This is not the first time a Peacehaven taxi firm has been the victim of crooks. In November last year two empty parked cabs used by Peacehaven Taxis were firebombed with Molotov cocktails in Lewes.