‘Don’t leave cars running to defrost’ warning after two thefts in Hertfordshire

TWO cars have been stolen from driveways, after the owners left the engines running while defrosting the windows.

Now police are urging motorists not to leave their vehicles unattended, after the two thefts in Cuffley.

The first occurred in Tolmers Road at 7.45am yesterday (Wednesday).

The victim left her car, a blue Lexus, running on her drive. While she was inside her house, someone got in and drove off.

Thieves also struck this morning (Thursday), just before 7am, this time in Tolmers Avenue.

A woman had left her car, a black BMW X5, running outside her house, while she was inside.

Chief inspector Fiona Gaskell said: “I appreciate it can be time consuming to de-ice your windows and that the easy option is to leave your car running while you’re doing other things in your home.

“However, as we have seen with these recent incidents, this can leave you extremely vulnerable to opportunistic thieves.

“It takes just a couple of seconds for someone to jump in and make off with your vehicle.”

She said: “Most insurance companies won’t cover you if your car is stolen in this way, so it will be costly to get a replacement car, not just inconvenient.

“The best advice is not to leave your car unattended with the engine running. Stay with your car at all times and be vigilant of suspicious activity.”

Enquiries into the thefts are ongoing.

Witnesses, or anyone else with information, should call police on the non-emergency number 101.