Left with no wheels

2:23pm Saturday 1st March 2008

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A PINNER resident who was unable to use her car for three-and-a-half months after thieves stole its wheels has welcomed police help.

Saira Mirza found her Audi Q7 standing on bricks, with all four alloy wheels missing, on October 30.

The thieves managed to remove the wheel locks and stole the wheels, valued at around £5,000.

But when Mrs Mirza ordered replacements, she was told she would have to join a waiting list for the specialist wheels needed for her car.

She said: "When we first saw the car standing on bricks, it was almost comical the way it looked.

"But when it took so long to be resolved, the joke was on us."

She had to use a smaller car, provided by the insurance company, for three-and-a-half months.

The car was not big enough for her and her three children, who are all under the age of five, and she said at times they could not go out at all.

She said: "It was a real inconvenience. I couldn't fit the double buggy in and we really couldn't go anywhere together after the wheels were taken."

Mrs Mirza, of West Way, is not the only Pinner resident to have been a victim of wheel theft.

Nineteen alloy wheel thefts have been reported in the past 18 months in Pinner, at a cost of around £27,000.

Police Community Support Officer Jonathan May, of Pinner South Safer Neighbourhood Team, has launched a campaign to raise the awareness of alloy wheel theft in Pinner and help residents protect their cars.

He said: "Most new cars come with locking wheel nuts, but they come off very easily.

"Often cars are damaged when they are lifted up for the wheels to be taken off, so we have put together a leaflet to help people know how to protect their wheels."

The leaflet, being distributed through neighbourhood watch co-ordinators, can be handed in at Halfords to get more secure wheel locks at a discounted rate.

Mrs Mirza got her car back two weeks ago and, although she wishes she had known about the scheme earlier, she thinks it is a good thing.

She said: "PCSO May came round and talked about crime in the area. He told us this kind of thing is quite rife in the Pinner and Northwood area. I think this scheme is great - it is actually doing something to stop thieves and making people more aware of what could happen."