THIS WEEK IN 1984: City thieves target wrecks and bangers

Police began hunting for Portsmouth's '˜phantom' car thieves, who spirited away one special class of car '“ old abandoned shells, broken down bangers, and crumpled wrecks.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Feb 2017, 06:00 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 09:59 BST

Detectives warned motorists in Portsmouth to beware the mysterious gang who would tow away a vehicle left in the street after a crash or because it had broken down.

Officers began appealing for anyone who had seen a three-man gang hitching up an abandoned car and towing it away to contact the police immediately.

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The gang first struck at Landport, where the 12-year-old shell of a mustard-coloured Maxi was being kept near Tottenham Road. To the owner’s surprise, it became a target for thieves.

While the police were puzzling over the theft, the gang struck again – next time preying on a Fiat 130 whose engine happened to be in bits in its in own boot.