Four cars stolen as owners waited for them to defrost

The vehicles were taken after being left unlocked on the drive with their keys in the ignition on Friday.

At 8am, thieves drove off in a Porsche Cayman from Dovedale Road, Wolverhampton, and a Vauxhall Insignia was stolen from Goldthorne Avenue, in Sheldon.

Twenty minutes later, a black Honda CRV was stolen from Yale Road, Willenhall, and at 8.35am a Peugeot 208 was taken from Windsor Walk in Walsall.

Details of all the stolen vehicles have been circulated on the police national computer and officers will be checking police cameras to see if they can establish where the cars have gone.

Sgt Andy Gregory, the force's crime reduction manager, said: "When temperatures dip below zero, we do have extra patrols out to warn drivers about the danger of leaving vehicles unattended to thaw and warm-up, and we do keep an eye out for suspicious individuals in the area.

"However, we can't prevent every single theft and that is why it is so important that owners take preventative measures too and never leave their cars unlocked, with the keys in the engine.

"Owners think it's fine to nip inside the house to collect their bag or have a last sip of coffee - but it only takes a few seconds for someone to jump in and drive away. Always stay with your car as it defrosts and use de-icer spray or a scraper to speed up the process.

"We'd also like to remind people that insurance policies are often invalid when cars are stolen in this way as the owner is deemed to have been responsible for the theft, so you could be left out of pocket as well as without a car."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.