Police teams offer security advice to motorists following recent reports of catalytic converter thefts

Residents are being asked to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

Officers are reminding residents to be extra vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to them.

They have offered the following advice to thwart thieves:

○ Park your vehicle as close as you can to a wall or fence. This reduces the amount of room that the offender needs to manoeuvre under your vehicle and cut away the converter.

○ If your catalytic converter is bolted on you can ask your local garage to weld the bolts on to make removal more difficult.

○ Some garages will etch a unique serial number onto your converter so it can easily be identified if it is stolen. You will also be provided with a sticker to be displayed in your window that indicates your converter is marked.

You can also purchase cat clamps which will also take time to remove and slow the offender down who will be in a hurry.

○ If you have a Toyota you can purchase a device that will lock in around the converter to make it more difficult to remove.

○ Park in a well lit area.

○ Fit your vehicle with a car alarm to distract an offender

A police spokesman said: “While all cars are potentially at risk, thieves are most likely to target hybrids, where the catalytic converter is used less and the metals are less likely to be damaged, or vehicles with a higher ground clearance, such as vans and SUVs.

“Older vehicles are also targeted due to the fact they contain higher amounts of precious metal than the newer models.

“We want to remind residents to be extra vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to us.

“To report a crime in progress, always call 999.

“Call 101 for non-emergencies and to report any information, or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”