Thieves could have disturbed car gang

Thieves who took 10 high performance sports cars from a Black Country dealership may have been disturbed – by another group who got in there to steal tea and coffee.

The claim has been made by Xtreme Ltd managing director James Challis after the firm also noticed tea, coffee, sugar and some computer equipment missing following the raid over the weekend. Keys were in the ignition of the other 12 cars left in the showroom and Mr Challis believes they would have also gone had the thieves not been disturbed.

"We did think it was very strange at the time that the same people who had taken the cars would have also taken tea, coffee and sugar," Mr Challis, aged 30, said.

"We also thought it was strange why only 10 cars had been taken and the rest left.

"One of the conclusions we reached was we might have been burgled not once on Saturday night but twice.

"The keys had been taken and put into the ignitions of the cars that were left, so it seems the thieves did plan to take them.

"Perhaps they came back and were disturbed by someone, realised someone was in here and decided to call it a night.

"Its all speculation at the moment, we have informed the police of our thoughts and its up to them to act on them I suppose."

Seven of the 10 high-performance cars stolen from the dealership in Dudley Road, Lye, near Stourbridge, have been found abandoned across the Black Country.

It has led to speculation that the cars were used for joyriding.

Thieves broke into the showroom on the Old Forge Estate industrial park after disabling the alarm system and using a truck to smash open roller shutter doors.

The cars are believed to be worth £300,000 and include Porsches, Lamborghinis and Mitsubishis.

Anyone with information is asked to call Stourbridge CID on 0845 113 5000.