Police warning to Stoke-on-Trent drivers as temperatures ready to plummet

Police have warned North Staffordshire motorists not to leave their cars defrosting when temperatures plummet - as 'opportunist' thieves wait to strike. The message comes as the county is set to see a cold snap in the coming days.

And officers say thieves will be keeping an eye on North Staffordshire's weather forecast so they know when to head out and look for unattended vehicles. Last winter and police were called out to scores of incidents where vehicles left defrosting were taken.

StokeonTrentLive reported in December last year how thieves have stolen six 'defrosting' vehicles in Staffordshire - all on the same morning. Four of the incidents took place in the north of the county with thefts in Weston Coyney, Bidduph, Talke, and Cheddleton.

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Just a month later and three defrosting cars were stolen in Bentilee and Meir. Now Staffordshire Police has urged drivers to be vigilant and not leave their vehicles unattended as North Staffordshire is braced for another cold snap in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Thieves are opportunists, looking for an easy way to steal items of value from an unlocked or unattended vehicle. This could be cash left on display, a sat nav from the glovebox, a mobile phone from the dashboard or perhaps tools kept overnight in a work van.

"Every year, vehicles are stolen from driveways and outside homes when owners leave them to warm up with the key in the ignition. Car thieves watch the weather forecast too and will be out early in the morning on the lookout for vehicles left unattended.

"High value vehicles are often targeted in this way as their advanced security technology makes them difficult to steal unless they already have the engine running and the key in the ignition. Your insurance may not pay out if you are in any way deemed responsible for the theft."

According to the latest Met Office forecast for Stoke-on-Trent and temperatures won't get past 7C today with bouts of heavy rain set to hit this afternoon. It'll feel colder tomorrow with highs of only 5C but will feel like -1C into the night where there'll be downpours.

It's Tuesday when things will drop with sleet forecast and a low of 0C even by 9am when it will feel like -4C. It won't get past 3C in the following days and by Saturday (November 23) it will be -1C in the early hours - where it'll feel like -4C. In the Moorlands and it's a similar tale but on Tuesday morning it'll be 0C in Leek - and feel like -5C with a possibility of some light snow.

It'll drop below freezing in that part of North Staffordshire into Wednesday - and will feel like -6C. The BBC however reckons Leek could see some heavy snow as early as Tuesday.

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