A car belonging to a Broughty Ferry RNLI volunteer has been recovered days after it was stolen from his Dundee home.
Michael Wilkinson said the theft of his vehicle forced him off-duty, as he could not promptly respond to lifeboat call-outs without transport.
The Douglas resident reported the car stolen when he was awoken by clanging in the early hours of Saturday morning.
His Kia Rio had been stolen an hour earlier, but the thieves had returned to steal tools from a van on the same street.
The vehicle was found abandoned in the Fintry area of Dundee on Monday following an anonymous tip-off to police.
Stolen car recovered after tip-off
The all-weather and inshore lifeboat crew member asked people to “keep an eye out” for his stolen car at the weekend.
But on Tuesday morning, the Broughty Ferry RNLI confirmed via social media that Michael’s vehicle had been found undamaged in Dundee.
He thanked the public for sharing the appeal and the lifeboat crew for their support.
“I was definitely surprised,” said Michael.
“I wasn’t expecting it back – we had hardly any leads.
“A few people said car theft was rife in Dundee and it had been going on quite a lot.
“We had come to terms with the fact we weren’t getting it back and needed to start the search for a new car.
“It’s pretty massive that it has been found. It has overwhelmed me how many people were sharing the appeal and trying to help.”
More than 800 people had shared Michael’s initial appeal on social media.
Murray Brown, coxswain for Broughty Ferry RNLI, told The Courier the theft of Michael’s car could have impacted the crew’s ability to respond to emergencies.
At the weekend, he said: “For anybody to lose their car, it’s awful, but it doesn’t help us get the boat to sea if the guys can’t get to the lifeboat station.”
Michael will now return to serving on the lifeboat alongside his fellow volunteers.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed enquiries are ongoing into the theft of the vehicle.
Anyone with information should call 101 and reference incident number 0695.
