A Black Country motorist was left “gutted” when thieves stole his car which he had left running car while he nipped indoors to grab an ice scraper.

Andrew Hughes, aged 22, started his black Ford Fiesta before work and left it warming up outside his family home on Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, while he ran inside. Fifteen seconds later he came back out with the scraper to find two men driving away in his car.

News of the theft on Wednesday comes as police warned motorists in the West Midlands not to leave their vehicles unattended while their engines are running during bad weather. Owners of vehicles that are stolen this way can find their insurance invalid.

Mr Hughes said today: “I don’t know how they had the nerve to take it. I’m really gutted.

“I started the car and left it running to warm up and defrost the windows while I went inside for literally 15 seconds to get a scraper.

The housing officer added: “I’ve had to take two days off work because I had no other way of getting there in the bad weather.”

Anyone with information should call 0845 1135000.