Warning issued following theft of unattended vehicle while defrosting

We are urging people not to leave their cars unattended whilst defrosting following a recent theft in North Staffordshire.

Just before 8.30am on Sunday (26 November), a silver Vauxhall Corsa was taken from an address near Ash Bank Road, Werrington. The owner left the keys in the ignition whilst the car defrosted, prompting an opportunist to steal it.

We are carrying out house-to-house enquiries and looking at CCTV footage at the time of the theft to find out more.

Inspector Karen Cooke, from the Moorlands local policing team, said: “It might be convenient to leave your car to defrost whilst doing other things, but it’s also convenient for thieves.

“Please give yourself a bit more time in a morning to prepare your vehicle safely before you set off, to help you to stay safe on the roads.

“Dig out the scraper and de-icer so that you can de-frost your windows, or use a windscreen cover overnight.

“If you need to defrost your vehicle, ensure you stay with it and don't leave it unattended with the keys inside. Your insurance company may not pay out if your vehicle is stolen in this way.”

For more information on how to prevent vehicle theft, visit our website.

Anyone who has any information, CCTV or dashcam footage about the theft in Werrington, is asked to contact us on by calling 101, quoting incident 165 of 26 November, or by messaging us using Live Chat on our website.

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.