THIEVES have stolen two cars in Cuffley after they were left unattended with their engines running while the windows were defrosting.
Police have warned motorists to stay by their cars while they defrost them following the opportunistic thefts.
The first incident occurred in Tolmers Road, Cuffley at 7.45am yesterday (Wednesday, February 1) when the victim left a blue Lexus running on her driveway. While she was inside the house, the car was taken.
The second incident occurred this morning (February 2) in Tolmers Avenue, Cuffley at just before 7am. The victim left her car, a black BMW X5, running outside her house. While she was inside, offender(s) made off in the car.
Fiona Gaskell, chief Inspector for Welwyn Hatfield, said: “I appreciate that it can be time consuming to de-ice your windows and that the easy option is to leave your car running whilst you’re doing other things in your home.
“However, as we have seen with these recent incidents, this can leave you extremely vulnerable to opportunistic thieves. It takes just a couple of seconds for someone to jump in and make off with your vehicle.
“Most insurance companies won’t cover you if your car is stolen in this way, so it will be costly to get a replacement car, not just inconvenient.
“The best advice is not to leave your car unattended with the engine running. Stay with your car at all times and be vigilant of suspicious activity.”
Enquiries into these incidents are on-going and police are urging anyone who may have witnessed, or have information about them, to contact Herts Police via the non-emergency number, 101.