STRUGGLING musician Dan Jacobs today faces the "gut-wrenching" prospect of quitting his much-loved job after thieves allegedly stole all his equipment.

STRUGGLING musician Dan Jacobs today faces the "gut-wrenching" prospect of quitting his much-loved job after thieves allegedly stole all his equipment.

Vandals are thought to have taken £2,000 worth of drum stands and microphones from his Vauxhall Cavalier before setting the vehicle alight.

Fire crews tackled the blaze around 5.30am on Saturday in The Drift off Nacton Road and police are treating the incident as suspicious.

At a time when money is very tight, the drummer had to cancel an important gig and is now appealing for information in a desperate bid to save his career.

He said: "The future prospects are bad because if I don't get my equipment I will have to ditch my job. I feel gutted.

"I have not missed a day of playing drums for years and now I can't play for many months ahead."

The 29-year-old added that his insurance company would not foot the bill and his only option is to retrieve his property or face a return to his old job in shipping - which he hated.

Mr Jacobs, of Waldringfield Road, Brightwell, left the industry around eight years ago to embark on an uncertain career in music.

Having successfully graduated from a London drum school three years ago, he was finding his feet in the area and working hard to build up a student base during a money-strapped period.

In February, he was featured in the Evening Star after writing a drum technique book and the future looked rosy.

He said: "It will be gut-wrenching. I can't see myself doing anything other than drumming.

"I took a big gamble and turned to drumming and it would be nice to carry on."

He had loaded up his car late the night before because he had an early start, but when he woke the next morning, the vehicle had gone.

He described the incident as "the worst timing in the world."

He has phoned all the music shops in the town to ask them to be on the look out for suspicious equipment and he is checking Internet auction site eBay in the hope of finding it.

Meanwhile today firefighters tackled another two car fires in Ipswich today .

A crew from Princes Street were called to a car on fire in Halesowen Close, Ipswich, just after 2.20am.

Firefighters wore breathing apparatus while fighting the fire, which was extinguished about 20 minutes later.

Just after 5.30am firefighters received a call of a car on fire in The Drift, Ipswich.

Anyone with information about any of the fires should telephone police on 01473 613500.