Police issue a chilling warning

Date published: 03/03/2006

Greater Manchester Police is warning the public to take care when defrosting their cars, after 5 cars were stolen in one hour across Greater Manchester this morning, Friday 3 March 2006.

The cars were stolen when drivers left their vehicles unattended with the keys in the ignition and engines running while defrosting them.

As the Met Office continues to predict more cold weather across the region, police are urging people to stay with their vehicles while de-icing them on frosty mornings, and to always ensure that their cars are fully locked and secured when unattended.

A GMP spokesperson said: "Car owners should never leave their vehicle unattended with the keys in it. If you are leaving your car, even for a few minutes, you should always lock the car and take the keys with you.

"With the cold weather, it may be tempting to leave the engine switched on so it can defrost, while you do other things. But car thieves know they may catch people with their guard down and will travel around looking for cars to steal on frosty mornings. It only takes a few seconds to steal a car and as we have seen in the past, the offenders are not afraid to use violence. I want to urge people to always stay in their vehicle when the engine is running."