AN AVID angler has been left devastated by burglars who stole fishing equipment worth £7,000.

Kyle Ackerman of Gorse Hill spent years fishing and buying top-of-the-line equipment for his favourite hobby.

Now, all he has left is some bait and bite alarms.

Kyle said: "It's heart-breaking, fishing is my life and this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

"I got home from darts at the pub at 11pm on Sunday, checked the garage and everything was still there.

"They broke the garage door while I was sleeping and took hundreds of items.

"Some of the stuff that was stolen had sentimental value - they were birthday and Christmas presents from grandparents that are no longer with us.

"When I opened the garage in the morning it made a horrible creaking noise and I was shocked when I saw everything gone.

"It faces onto the main road by Cockleberry roundabout so anyone driving past would have seen it happen.

"I reported it to the police but they said they couldn't deal with it unless I find witnesses or CCTV.

"There was a handprint in the dust on the back window of my wife's car but they said that evidence from it wouldn't hold up in court.

"I've gone to pawn shops and online sites to see if the equipment has been sold on but haven't found anything yet."

Kev Hewitt, manager of Angling Direct's Swindon store and an international angler for England, claimed that Kyle was far from the only fisherman in town to be burgled.

He said: "This happens far too regularly, it's horrendous.

"Over the last five years, I've had people coming in every week or two saying they've had their stuff stolen.

"I'm paranoid about it happening to me, I take precautions but I still feel like it's only a matter of time.

"As long as people are getting away with it and not being punished, it'll keep happening."

Kyle added: "The angling community have been brilliant and so helpful to me since this happened.

"I've been angling since I was 12 when my dad took me fishing regularly.

"We're both passionate about it and this has hit him hard too.

"It's an escape from the world, it helps you de-stress, we've put so many hours and so much hard work into it.

"The burglars only left bait behind and I found some bite alarms that had been dropped in a back alley near my home under a blanket with the lucky charm I keep on my fishing rod.

"I, stupidly, didn't have any alarms fitted to my garage because I never thought this would happen to me.

"I'm putting alarms and CCTV on the new garage door.

"I hope they don't come back, I fear that I'm a target forever now."

Kyle's equipment was insured, but only up to £3,000.

He is asking for anglers to be vigilant when purchasing second-hand equipment as it may be his stolen stuff.

Among the items stolen were three Shimano rods, three Penn infintiy reels, a Shimano 10,000 super reel, a Korum barbel rod, and a Trakker gravity trolley and backpack, a Wychwood dispatch spod reel, a Sonik 3 rod bag and Jrc landing net.