11:34 am, October 19, 2023
A used car dealership has been left reeling after thieves stole five vehicles worth £75,000 less than three months after a separate £100,000 heist.
Police have launched a manhunt to find a gang of thieves who broke into Top Gear Stoke in the early hours of yesterday morning (Oct 18).
The group, which consisted of at least five male offenders, made off with a dark blue Audi A6, a blue BMW X5, a grey Range Rover Vogue and two black Audi Q7s.
So far, just one of the Audis has been recovered with officers still unable to account for the whereabouts of the other four cars
In an attempt to track them down, Staffordshire Police are asking for anyone who might have CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward.
A spokesman for the force said: ‘We are appealing for information after five vehicles, worth a total of £75,000, were stolen from a dealership in Stoke-on-Trent.
‘We were called to a car dealership on Dividy Road, Bentilee, where group of at least five men were seen entering the premises in the early hours.
‘Five cars, a dark blue Audi A6, a blue BMW X5, a grey Range Rover Vogue and two black Audi Q7s, were taken from the premises between 2.20am and 3.50am
‘One of the vehicles, an Audi Q7, has since been recovered but the other four are still missing.
‘We are keen to hear from residents who were in the area at the time and have CCTV or dashcam footage that could help us with our investigation.’
Although not officially identified by police, Top Gear Stoke confirmed it was the business in question, when approached by Car Dealer.
The incident comes less than three months after another theft from the dealership which saw used cars with a combined value of £100,000 stolen.
On that occasion the five cars taken were a white Audi A1, a black Mercedes V class, a blue Toyota Auris, a black BMW 3 Series and a red Citroen C4.
Police recovered four of the five vehicles, with only A1 remaining unaccounted for.
The incident took place in July and CCTV footage from the dealership (see below) showed the thieves crashing the Mercedes into Volvo estate car as they escaped.
Two boys, aged 15 and 17 were later arrested in relation to the theft, along with a 19-year-old man.
Car Dealer has approached Top Gear Stoke for comment.
