Police probe estate agents’ fears of sabotage after allegation placards are being deliberately targeted

An all-female estate agency has called in police after more than 20 of their for sale signs were stolen or vandalised.

Manor Estate Agents says at least 26 boards have gone missing from outside properties across the central belt since last September. Officers in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire are investigating after boards disappeared in locations including Largs, Cambuslang and Larkhall.

The estate agents, dubbed Manor Angels and based in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, was set up by Sandra Hill in 2017 after she decided on a change of career following a divorce.

The mum of two, 42, said: “There has been more than a few incidences where we have thought that is not coincidence. It feels like we are getting targeted.

“When I saw a board kicked down yards from a house, I actually got really upset. You put your heart and soul into this, and a lot of your own investment.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking that somebody wants to attack a small agency. We are not impinging on anybody else. All of our business is through word of mouth. It is hitting us in the pockets and it is not fair.”

Sandra, who runs the team-of-four business with director Claire Sarah Hart, explained the firm orders the signs in bulk, costing around £800 for 30 at a time.

She added: “It also impacts on our customers. If they don’t have a sale board outside their house, they get irate because they want passing traffic to see it. It is definitely sabotage.”

The firm believes it has been targeted and given the locations involved in the alleged sabotage, they are concerned that their business is being monitored on popular property websites.

Sandra has also taken steps to ensure the safety of the staff.

She said: “The police have been very good but there is very little that they can do because there is no GPS tracker on them.

“We have also stopped doing viewings after 7pm at night because we are concerned for personal safety. We have got to think about that.”

The rivalry of real estate was explored in the Netflix reality hit Selling Sunset. The glamorous mostly-female cast gave viewers an insight into the drama of their job as they sold the luxury homes to affluent buyers in LA.

Police Scotland said: “Police can confirm they received reports of ‘for sale’ signs being stolen in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Inquiries have been carried out and nobody has been charged at this time.”