TEN years in the making, it took just a few minutes for crooks to pinch Gabriele Mascaro’s wagon wheel from the side verandah of his Burt Street investment property last week.

Mr Mascaro and his wife Rina suspect tradies involved in laying gas pipes along the street might have been involved, as the wheel would have taken two people and a ute to move.

• Rina and Gabriele Mascaro.

“There are many workers around with the pipes and we are just so exposed,” Ms Mascaro says.

Mr Mascaro is devastated by the loss after spending years researching wagon wheels to make sure his was as authentic as possible; the construction alone took him six months.

If you spotted some shady cowboys some time over the weekend, drop the Herald a line on 9430 7727.