Brazen car thieves trick Blackpool tow truck driver into hauling woman's car away

A Blackpool woman was left stunned after car thieves tricked a towing company into hauling away her Ford EcoSport from the street outside her home.
By Matthew Calderbank
Published 8th Sep 2021, 12:18 GMT
Updated 8th Sep 2021, 12:40 GMT
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The 21-year-old, who has asked not to be named, found her car had vanished from outside her house in Jeffrey Square yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, September 7).

The young woman was able to get her hands on a neighbour's CCTV footage and was shocked to see her beloved EcoSport being towed away at around 1.45pm.

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In the footage, two men - one driving the low-loader and another in a white Transit van - can be seen casually winching her yellow EcoSport onto the back of the recovery truck before driving away.

In the footage, two men - one driving the low-loader and another in a white Transit van - can be seen casually winching her yellow EcoSport onto the back of a recovery truck before driving away with itIn the footage, two men - one driving the low-loader and another in a white Transit van - can be seen casually winching her yellow EcoSport onto the back of a recovery truck before driving away with it
In the footage, two men - one driving the low-loader and another in a white Transit van - can be seen casually winching her yellow EcoSport onto the back of a recovery truck before driving away with it

The woman reported the brazen theft to police and shared the footage on Facebook in a desperate bid to find her car.

Luckily, it didn't take long before she was reunited with her stolen Ford.

In a bizarre twist, the man who was paid to tow her car away spotted her social media appeal and rushed back to her home to explain what had happened.

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He told he had been tricked into moving her car by the man in the Transit van, who had told him the Ford was his and it needed taking to a garage 9 miles away for repairs.

The car's owner, a 21-year-old woman from Jeffrey Square, Blackpool, has now been reunited with her stolen Ford EcoSportThe car's owner, a 21-year-old woman from Jeffrey Square, Blackpool, has now been reunited with her stolen Ford EcoSport
The car's owner, a 21-year-old woman from Jeffrey Square, Blackpool, has now been reunited with her stolen Ford EcoSport

She said: "He told me he had been paid by the man in the white van to take the car to his unit.

"The man had told him, "it’s my car and I’ve locked the keys inside and I need to take it to my garage to sort it".

"So they loaded it up and took it to the unit. All the time, this gentleman driving the low-loader is thinking he is just doing his job.

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"Well thanks to the power of Facebook, the man realised it was a stolen car and immediately showed up at my house to tell me he knew where it was and could take me to it.

"And he did just that. He drove me there to get my car back and it was parked right there outside a unit at Braithwaites Yard Business Park in Warton, near Lytham.

"He honestly had no idea he was being paid to take my car away. But we still don't know who the man in the white van is who paid for it.

"I'd love to know who he is and how he thinks he can get away with this."

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The incident is being investigated by Lancashire Police and the force has been approached for comment.

The 21-year-old added: "I'd like to say thank you so much to everyone involved in helping me get back my car back, including the man with the tow truck.

"Honestly, the amount of support and help I’ve had from the community is overwhelming and I could never have done it alone."

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