Advice issued after vehicles stolen while left unattended

Officers are issuing advice to members of the community following a spate of thefts of vehicles.

The incidents, which happened in the Southampton, Totton and Romsey areas, all took place this morning while the vehicles were left unattended with their engines running.

At 6.48am a black Lexus was stolen from Brookwood Road, Southampton. At 7.37am a silver Vauxhall Astra was stolen from Salcombe Road, Totton. At 7.39am a silver VW Touran was stolen from King Georges Avenue, Southampton.

At 6.12am an attempt was made to steal a car from the driveway of an address in Bossington Close, Rownhams. The offender stalled the car and ran off, abandoning the vehicle.

PC Simon Peacock, said: “We’re advising residents not to leave their cars running while unattended. A lot of newer vehicles are keyless and owners sometimes assume that it’s safe to leave them running as long as they don’t leave the key inside. However, this isn’t the case, and these vehicles can still be stolen even if the key isn’t actually in the vehicle. Do not leave your vehicle running and unattended under any circumstances.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who thinks they might know where any of these cars are parked or being kept. We would also like to hear from anyone who was in any of these areas at the time of the thefts, or anyone who might have been driving in the areas with dashcams in their vehicles.”