11:20am Monday 12th July 2010
By Jenny Makin
A COUPLE were burgled while they slept and woke to hear their £50,000 car being driven off their driveway.
It’s the latest in a series of high performance vehicles being stolen from outside homes across Southampton in recent weeks.
Now police are warning residents with expensive cars to be vigilant and take extra security steps to protect them.
The theft happened at 4.50am on Friday when the young couple, who live in Bassett with their children aged three and five who were asleep in bed, were disturbed by noises.
They looked out of the window to see the burglar driving off in their BMW X6, which cost in the region of £50,000.
The thief was well built and wearing a grey hooded top with the hood up hiding his identity.
He had forced entry into their home and grabbed the keys after searching around briefly in the downstairs of their house.
It’s the sixth case of its kind in the city in recent weeks, with homes across Upper Shirley and Bassett being targeted.
Detectives in the priority crime unit are now investigating and are urging people to take simple steps to prevent the car thefts.
They include using a second vehicle, if they own one, to block the high performance car in the driveway. Owners should also make sure their properties are secured at night and put car keys in a safe place and out of sight.
In some of the other cases the thieves have reached through letterboxes to snatch the keys as well as carrying out break-ins into others.
Among the cars stolen have been a BMW X5, a BMW 320, a Mercedes E320 and a Ford Focus. Anyone with information is asked to contact the priority crime unit at Hulse Road on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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