Lexus, van and Mercedes stolen as owners leave engines on to defrost

The thefts come amid freezing cold temperatures across Scotland in the last two days.

Lexus, van and Mercedes stolen as owners leave them running to defrost windows in Lanarkshire iStock

Police have warned drivers to not leave their vehicles unattended when leaving them running to defrost after three were stolen in Lanarkshire.

Officers are appealing for information after a grey Lexus ES300H was taken from a property in High Blantyre Road, Hamilton, at about 9am on Monday.

The vehicle had been left running to defrost the windows.

A second car, a black Vauxhall Vivaro van, registration SA18 RWY, was taken from a property on Victoria Street, Hamilton, at about 10am on the same day.

A third vehicle, a blue Mercedes GLA, registration DX64 JSV, was stolen from Hume Drive, Bothwell at around 7.30am on Tuesday.

Officers have warned that the thefts are happening within seconds of people leaving their cars unattended and are urging drivers to remain inside vehicles when defrosting.

Enquiries into each theft are ongoing.

A police spokesperson said: “If you have any CCTV/Doorbell cameras in any of these areas, please check your footage and if you have any information, please contact police on 101 quoting incident number 0693 of January 16, 2023.”

STV News is now on WhatsApp

Get all the latest news from around the country

Follow STV News
Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

WhatsApp channel QR Code