A MOTORIST has been left with a hefty repair bill after falling victim to thieves.

George Hughes, of Coedpoeth, had to pay £454 to replace his catalytic converter which was stolen during a spate of similar attacks in the area.

Thieves targeted his LandRover Freelander for the precious metal when it was parked on his drive.

And he says his wife Andrea has been unable to sleep since the incident for fear of the criminals returning to their home.

He said: “I’m just so angry that we’ve been left with all this expense and worry for the sake of a car part which will probably only have got the thief £30 or £40.

“I think they’ve picked on us because of the make of the car, they will have known that bigger vehicles have bigger catalytic converter systems which are worth more.

“But I can’t believe their cheek - they must have come up onto the drive, climbed underneath and taken the part off while we were upstairs in bed.

“Now, every time the security light goes on my wife wakes up scared and we’re frightened to put the car back on the drive.

“And I’ve had to pay for it out of my own pocket because my insurance wouldn’t cover it.”

Mr Hughes’ car was one of seven vehicles targeted over two nights earlier this month in the Coedpoeth and Tanyfron areas.

Police believe the thieves would have stripped the catalytic converters, which contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, because of
their value as scrap metal.

Mr Hughes discovered the damage when he started the vehicle and it “sounded like a tractor.”

He added: “When I looked underneath the car I saw a shiny new cut where they’d removed the converter.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this happening here before, so now I’m just trying to make as many people as possible aware of the risk so they can take extra measures and be more cautious.”

Anyone with information can call North Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.