The story of a landscaper who lost all his tools when his van was nicked "struck a chord" with a local builder's supplier which gifted him with £300 worth of tools to get him back to work.

Joe Diggins, 33, who operates his own landscaping business in Sidcup, took to Twitter after he discovered his van had been stolen from Main Road on the night of Wednesday, November 14.

Mr Diggins described how the thieves had left him without a mode of transport for work and no tools to work with, some of which he had since he left school.

"The thing is I saved for those tools. When I left school, I saved up for those tools and my van. It’s all the stuff my dad gave me. Stuff I’ve had since I was a teenager.

"That’s what makes me sick. I have to start all over again and they get away scot-free," he said.

Mr Diggins also said this would have left him having to fork out for brand new tools in the run-up to Christmas.

"Months before Christmas and I could be paying out thousands of pounds. It hasn’t quite sunk in," he told this newspaper.

Mr Diggins' original tweet went viral, receiving nearly 9,000 retweets and 3,700 likes, as online users shared similar experiences and wished to see the van returned to its owner.

However one Twitter user, a director for Travis Perkins plc, decided to help out further by offering to give Mr Diggins some new tools in order to help get him back to work.

Speaking to News Shopper, Dell Fitzgerald, who works at the Northfleet branch of the building suppliers, explained what prompted him to lend a helping hand.

"I came across Joe's story on Twitter and it struck a chord with me.

"I saw quite a few negative comments from people saying that somehow he had 'asked for it' by leaving his tools in his van and that it was his fault that the van was stolen and that they couldn't understand why it would stop him working.

"That surprised me and as many tradesman would know, their van is like their office and losing it cuts off all source of income," said Dell.

Mr Diggins expressed his gratitude towards the offer, tweeting that: "That would really help me out, I can’t tell you how much."

The white Ford Transit van is still missing and according to Mr Diggins, it was locked tight when he parked it that Wednesday night.

"I had two security locks and a steering lock fitted. You end up spending hundreds of pounds on security and they still get in," he said.

According to CCTV footage seen by Mr Diggins, the van was broken into in Main Street in Sidcup before being driven off at 10.20pm. He has asked that if anyone spots a van with the registration plate number GV62 JXY to get in contact with himself or the police.