A DRIVER who has had part of his car stolen is looking to raise awareness of a new type of threat to car owners.

Lawrence Epps, who lives in Gabriel Park, Kempshott, woke up on the morning of Tuesday, 20 November and went to get into his BMW 5 Series on his driveway to find the steering wheel missing from the car.

Given that there was no sign of forced entry to the car, it has led Mr Epps to believe that it was stolen overnight due to compromising the keyless entry system, something which is something that he wants to raise awareness of.

Mr Epps said: “After looking up what might have happened online, it looks like they managed to get in via keyless entry. From what I have seen, it seems that they gained access to the car through keyless entry and it seems to be becoming more common.”

The method uses computer software to bypass the car’s security systems to open the car.

Mr Epps added: “I suppose I was quite lucky. Other incidents I have seen have had parts of the dashboard and the sat nav stolen as well as the steering wheel. Apparently, some of the higher-end steering wheels can be worth up to £1,500 on their own.

“I’m not sure what can be done about the systems, the car companies might need to update their systems.”

The matter is now in the hands of the insurance company, and the incident has been reported to the police.

If anyone has any information about the incident in Kempshott, then they can contact the police on 101 quoting 44180434774.

A similar incident has been reported to the Gazette today (November 20) that took place on the same night in Hatch Warren. The battery of a BMW 3 Series was disconnected and the alarm turned off. The steering wheel was then taken.