Four Coventry cars stolen in one morning

Four cars left with their engines running as they warmed up have been stolen in one morning in Coventry.



In one incident a car owner was punched as a thief tried to get away in a Peugeot 306 estate on Swan Lane, Stoke, Coventry.

The victim was sent to hospital for treatment. Cars were also taken from roads in Foleshill, Coundon and Stoke.

Police in Coventry warned drivers not to leave their cars warming up unattended.

Pete Sturgeon, from Coventry police, said: "As the weather gets colder, some motorists become careless and leave keys in their ignitions as they warm their vehicles.

"Others leave the engine running in their parked vehicles as they go back inside the house and wait for their vehicle to de-ice..

"Some victims nip inside to collect their bag or a last sip of coffee and that's all the time a car thief needs."

People will never learn. This has been going on for years and car thieves must rub their hands together at the first sign of frost.

Am I right in thinking that the "victims" will be unlikely to get an insurance payout?

I would assume there would be no payout. Insurance companies don't like paying out at the best of times!!

“Leaving your car unlocked with the engine running is an open invitation to opportunist thieves. The icy weather provides the perfect climate for car thieves to target unattended cars and motorists must take every precaution to avoid becoming a victim of ‘frost-jacking’. It may be tempting to stay inside in the warm while leaving your car alone to de-ice, but insurers are likely to take a dim view on a claimant who has left themselves vulnerable to crime in this way. If your insurer refuses to pay out you could be left footing the bill for a new car on your own.”