WINDOW cleaner John Hughes has been left £18,000 out of pocket and his livelihood put in jeopardy after his van was stolen on his round – but customers are rallying around to help him rebuild his business.

Customers have started a campaign to raise £6,000 towards a new van for the Chepstow-based businessman who has been cleaning windows for 17 years.

He says he has been “genuinely moved” by their generosity.

Mr Hughes had parked the grey Ford Transit Trend van with the keys in the ignition on a customer’s driveway on the upmarket Bayfields estate in Chepstow last Wednesday afternoon (August 12).

He told the Review all his equipment and personal documents were in the van and the theft has left him with just his bucket.

He said: “I was talking to my client at the back of her house when I walked around and said ‘where’s my van?’ I had everything in there from all my kit to personal documents that had my name and address on it.

“I’ve had to change my house door locks and am even considering moving home.”

But after news of the theft spread around the estate, customers decided to set up a page on fundraising website www.justgiving.com.

Sian Griffiths hopes the community will dig deep and help raise £6,000 towards a new van.

She said: “His world was shattered by this terrible crime. John was welling up when he told me that we probably might not see him again as he cannot afford to set-up his business again.

He had done a few houses, including mine, and was around the back doing a neighbour’s.

“Unfortunately as the keys were in the ignition his insurance will not pay out. As a self-employed person myself I feel greatly for him.

“John is caring, funny and a solid bloke who would go out of his way for anybody.

People who want to help should search for get-john-a-van on www.justgiving.com.

The customer who set up the page wrote: “We’re raising £6,000 to buy our local window cleaner a new van because some toerag stole it and with it his livelihood.

“I was upset to hear what had happened to John in the next street to us and wanted to do something to help save a valuable local service.”

John, who is a one-man band, said: “I can’t believe how wonderful my customers have been.

“The last thing I expected them to do was raise money for me, I am genuinely moved by their generosity.

“The area is very respectable and would be the last place you’d expect something like this to happen. I am devastated.

“It will cost around £18,000 to rebuild my business but I have put the wheels in motion by reordering equipment and arranged a van lease hire with Ford.”

Anybody who has information about the theft of the van, registration number CE13 ERU, should call Gwent Police on 101 quoting incident number 1500295031.