A car dealer was left “gobsmacked” when he found the entire front of a vehicle - including one of its doors - had been stripped by thieves.
Jamie Jones, owner of Swift Cars in Blackwood , Caerphilly , said the 2011 Nissan X-Trail was targeted by thieves on Sunday morning at the second-hand car dealership in Commercial Street.
The front bumper, bonnet, side headlights, one main headlight, a wing mirror and driver’s side door were sawn off, leaving the inside of the car and engine exposed.
The Nissan X-Trail was on sale for £7,690 but with repairs expected to cost thousands of pounds, the vehicle has now been written off.
Mr Jones, who’s owned the business for seven years, said: “I found out early Sunday morning. I had a call from one of the managers at 9.30am saying we needed to call the police because one of the cars had been stripped.
“They had cut away the entire front of the car and the driver’s door. They must have known what they were doing, they had experience in this kind of thing.
“We’ve had small things before, like people trying to steal petrol but we’ve never had anything like this.
“I was shocked, I was gobsmacked when I saw it.”
A similar thing was said to be happening with Vauxhall Corsas recently. This is how to protect against it:
In June, WalesOnline reported how staff at four Welsh hospitals had fallen victim to the crime while working and last year, two Ford Focus’ in Cardiff had the bumpers, bonnets and headlights stripped .
A spokesperson for insurer Direct Line explained that as cars were made from increasingly expensive materials, more parts and even entire sections of cars were being stolen because thieves stood a chance at making a profit.
Mr Jones believes this is why the Nissan X-Trail was targeted.
“I think it’s been stripped to order," said Mr Jones. "Maybe they have bought one that needs repairing or they have a car that’s been damaged.
“I don’t know why else they would have done it. This wasn’t done for fun.
“It hasn’t brought us down though, we have to just get on with it. These things happen and we’ve sold cars since then.”
A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "Officers are investigating following a report of a car that had been stripped of parts in Blackwood. The car, a black Nissan X Trail, was for sale on the forecourt of a garage on Commercial Street in Pontllanfraith.
"The incident happened sometime between 6pm on Saturday, 20 July, and 9.30am on Sunday, 21 July. The driver’s door, bonnet, driver's side wing and bumper along with some engine parts are thought to have been taken.
"Officers are keen to hear from anyone who could help with their enquiries. If anyone saw anything suspicious relating to this incident, please call 101 quoting Log 150 21/7/19 or alternatively, you can send a direct message to the Gwent Police Facebook or Twitter social media pages."
