A 21-year-old woman in Broadstone, Dorset, chased off a thief while wearing only a bath towel after spotting him trying to break into her father's work van. Nicki Vine confronted the man armed with a baseball bat after noticing suspicious movement on a neighbour's security camera at around 11.30pm on a Tuesday, in an incident that highlights the vulnerability of tradespeople whose tools are frequently targeted by thieves. The confrontation, captured on CCTV, quickly went viral after Ms Vine shared it on Facebook, with many praising her bravery.

Ms Vine, who works as a plasterer alongside her father Darren, said she had just had a bath when she spotted a helmeted thief opening the sliding door of the van, which was parked outside their home. She ran outside and swung the bat at the fleeing thief, then stepped into the road to confront his accomplice, who escaped on a motorbike, throwing the bat at them as they drove off. She said the family had been targeted by thieves before, described the tools as their "livelihood," and confirmed that the incident had been reported to Dorset Police with CCTV evidence submitted.