Cameras installed outside his home a month ago caught intruders trying to break into a Littleport builder's work van.
Rick Nash was first alerted to intruders searching his van for tools overnight on Sunday thanks to his dog barking.
When he went downstairs to check on he didn't notice anything unusual and returned to his bed.
But it was only when Rick left for work on Monday that he noticed the van door was ajar and had moved around five meters forward from the wall.
He said: 'As I was driving away to go to work this morning I looked in the mirror and noticed I was five foot away from the wall. But I never park like that – I always reverse up to the wall.
'The door wasn't shut properly either, and that's not very like me.
Mr Nash, who says he never keeps tools in his van in case of incidents like this, said there were three or four other van break-ins in Longfield Road and Kirby Cross on Sunday night.
He said: 'They are not interested in the van, they are interested in tools. They went inside, rolled it forward, got in the back and realised it was empty and then ran away.
'We normally have no problems down here – some vans have been broken into but very rarely.'
Getting the CCTV cameras installed has paid for itself, he said.
'It obviously works so I'm pretty happy that I had the cameras put up, and I'm going to get more. Sunday night was a mad rush for tools, it seems,' he said.
Another person said on the Facebook page Littleport Notice Board: 'Must have been a few gangs out as at 00.55 on Sunday our neighbour had his van broken into. They fled down Parson's Lane in a dark-coloured noisy BMW.'
A second person wrote that 'this is after they had stolen tools from my partner as we were woken just before 1am and was on the phone to police at approximately 1.05am'.
A third person alleged she had the number plates from her car stolen at around the same time period.
A police spokesman said: 'We are investigating reports of theft from a van in Longfield Road, Littleport.
'It is believed that overnight on Sunday (November 19) into yesterday morning (Monday November 20) offenders broke into a van and stole power tools.
'Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CF0671781117 or report online via www.cambs.police.uk/report.
'We do not have any other reports of this nature in the area.'
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