Thief upgrades vehicle in hours

A brazen car thief upgraded his vehicle from a van to an Audi TT within a few hours with a series of 'trade-ups'.

The thefts ended with a salesman at a garage in Yarm Road, Stockton, being forced to jump out of the way as the man drove off in the Audi.

He left a VW Bora at the garage, which had been stolen through similar means from an address in Durham.

The same man had test driven a van in County Durham earlier on Monday which he had taken to test drive the Bora.

'Bold actions'

The man went to the Stockton car dealership and spoke to a salesman with a view to test driving the Audi, with the registration DA04 SZC.

He got the keys and drove off the forecourt as the salesman tried to stop him by standing in his path but was forced to jump to one side when it was clear he was not going to stop.

The Bora, which was stolen about an hour before the Audi was taken, was also involved in a fail-to-stop collision a short time before.

Det Sgt Ashley Harvey said: "The man responsible was very bold in his actions and it's possible he may well try the same thing again."

He said people should be aware of what had happened and take care when handing over the keys to cars.

The man is described as white, 6ft, in his late 20s, skinny build and scruffy appearance, discoloured teeth with a gap in the middle.