CUNNING burglars hooked up the keys to a top-of-the-range £57,000 BMW 5 series through the letterbox of a house on Chatwell Gardens in Appleton and sped off in the car.

The 'hook and grab' craze among professional car thieves seems to have made a comeback in Warrington, with crooks coming into the town armed with fishing rods and garden canes and grabbing keys through letterboxes.

In just three weeks, six plush cars have been stolen, but police are asking all owners to move their keys, as the thieves aren't too fussy what they get their hands on.

An N registration Subaru Impreza worth £17,000 was stolen from Stanner Close in Callands, an X registration Volkswagen Golf worth £16,000 was taken from Scholars Green Lane in Lymm, a new Volkswagen Beetle was stolen from California Close in Sankey, and a W registration Mercedes worth £30,000 was taken from Culcheth.

Two of the cars have since been recovered in Manchester and Liverpool.

DC Steve Nash, of Warrington police's crime prevention unit, says that keys should be kept out of reach.

"It's obviously one of the latest ways of obtaining vehicles," he said.

Anyone with information on these offences can call police on 652222.