A COUPLE from Beggarwood are sending out a warning to residents after a part of their car was stolen in broad daylight.

On Wednesday, May 25 at around 10.30am, a Basingstoke mother - who does not want to be named - parked her car at Vyne Meadow car park near Basingstoke train station.

She took a train to Bramley with her 10-month old son to meet some family for lunch, returning to town at about 1.30pm.

However, when she returned to her car, she could see that something wasn’t right.

Speaking to the Gazette, her husband said: “She could see something hanging off the bottom and she wondered what it was. Then, when she started the car, it sounded like a motorbike!

“She called me up and I assumed she had driven over something, so we called the breakdown cover and straight away they identified that the catalytic convertor had been stolen.”

The couple later discovered that their vehicle, a Toyota Auris, is one of those considered particularly vulnerable to catalytic convertor thefts.

“I had no idea until I was googling it afterwards,” the resident said.

The couple recently moved back to Basingstoke, after spending some time living in San Francisco.

He continued: “I had heard of this kind of thing happening in America. It’s quite common to see petty crime and things there but I didn;t think it happened here.”

SEE ALSO: Police warning after rise in thefts of catalytic converters in Basingstoke

A Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) parking attendant who was at the car park told the woman that the CCTV in the car park would not have picked up the crime taking place, as one camera was reportedly broken and the other facing the other direction.

Now, the couple want to warn others who may not be aware of the risk of catalytic convertor theft.

“You assume, being at the train station, that people are going to be parking there all day and so the fact she was only there three hours and this happened - it’s just so brazen in broad daylight!”

The couple’s car is currently in the garage, with the cost of repair estimated at more than £1,000, meaning they have had to make an insurance claim. They added that, while they do not know the solution, they will be looking into Catlock technology, aimed at preventing this type of theft.

“[The police] probably see it as a victimless crime, but it’s a massive inconvenience and an administrative nightmare.

“I am just so grateful that my wife didn’t come across [the perpetrators] when they were there, and no one was hurt.”

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “I can confirm that yesterday (25 May) we received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle. It was reported that sometime between 10.10am and 1.20pm on Wednesday, 25 May, a catalytic converter was stolen from a car parked in Vyne Road car park in Basingstoke.

“Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious or has any information, including any dash-cam footage should contact us on 101 quoting reference 44220207155.

“For some crime prevention advice on catalytic converter theft, please visit our website hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/catalytic-converter-theft.”

BDBC cabinet member for partnerships, Cllr Jenny Vaux, added: “The council’s parking officers and community safety patrolling officers regularly patrol Vyne Meadow car park and will report any criminal or antisocial behaviour that they observe there. We would encourage residents to help by reporting any crimes to the police online or by dialling 999 in an emergency.

“The CCTV cameras at the site are not operated by the council so we are unable to comment on either their condition or position.”

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