Car News

Car loan customers in one area are being warned to be on the lookout for thieves who have been stealing number plates from vehicles overnight.

Owners including Car Finance users in the Wigan area have been warned plates can be valuable to criminals looking to steal a car's indentity.

Police said plates could be fitted to other cars which can then be used in crimes such as robbery and driving away from petrol stations without paying.

Wigan division crime reduction officer Wendy O'Neil said: "There are a number of things motorists can do to protect themselves from this crime."

She said secure plate screws could be fitted to number plates, reducing the chances of them being taken.

In the last month a total of 20 plates have gone from cars parked on drivers overnight, with the Leigh area particularly badly hit.

Firms such as secureplate produce number plates that become useless if a thief tries to take them.

The company's patented technology involves plates which break into several pieces when someone attempts to prize them from a car.

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