HARLOW: Two arrested after six cars are stolen

12:22pm Monday 25th August 2008

SIX cars have been stolen in one night by thieves who broke into homes to steal the keys.

In another incident a man disturbed a thief as he tried to break into his home in Buckhurst Hill.

Two people have been arrested in connection with one of the thefts, which happened early on Sunday morning, after one of the stolen cars was spotted by police in Brentwood and later crashed in Romford.

The thefts occurred in Epping, Loughton, Chigwell, Harlow and Ongar.

The first theft was reported to police shortly before 2am when a Chigwell woman returned home to find a window forced and her Audi A3 car missing from the drive.

NInety minutes later and police were alerted by a Buckhurst Hill man who came across a man trying to break into his house, probably with the intention of stealing his BMW which was parked on the drive.

At 6.30am a woman in Epping reported that someone had broken into her home and stolen a music player and a Ford Mondeo which was on the drive.

Half-an-hour after that theft police a woman in Harlow reported that her Audi A3 car had been stolen after thieves, earlier in the night, had broken in and taken the car keys from the kitchen table.

Then shortly before 7.30am a Loughton man woke to discover that his BMW320 car had been stolen during the night after thieves got into the property through an open window and took the car keys from a table.

And then at 9.30am a man in Epping reported that his house had been broken into and his Saab Aero car stolen, along with £2,000 worth of electrical equipment.

The last theft was reported in Ongar shortly before midday when a man said he and his wife had woken to discover a music player and their Renault Clio car had been stolen.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean O'Callaghan said: "Although the crime is not unusual the high spate certainly is and it is worrying that some people don't seem to care for their vehicles which are usually their second most expensive possession."

He said thieves were on the lookout for family saloons.

Mr O'Callaghan said those responsible were "career criminals" who looked for open windows and unlocked doors which make it easy for them. "They are just laughing in our faces," he said.

In some of the incidents it was reported that a silver BMW was seen being driven away from the scene.

Shortly after 1.30am today (Monday) road policing officers saw the Saab, which had been stolen in Epping, at the Brook Street interchange, in Brentwood. The car was later found to have crashed in Links Road, in Romford.

Two men, aged 18 and 21, from Newham, east London, have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and were being questioned at Brentwood Police Station.

Anyone with any information should ring Harlow Police Station on 0300 333 4444, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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