Morning everyone. Cheery topic to start the day.

Had my car stolen last night/this morning, and the hours in between.

Does anyone know, other than contacting the police (which I've done) what else I need to do to be pro-active in recovering my car? I've only had it for a week!

It was stolen from Russell Terrace in Padiham and I believe they have also stolen the keys from my house.

Do I contact my insurers immediately?

Also, if anyone has seen or heard anything in the Padiham area then also, let me know! It's a Silver Vauxhall Astra Life. YB05 PEO. Only had it for a week or so.

Cheers
Rick

Get on to your insurers but don't be in any doubt. You DID lock up, if the company have any grounds to believe you left the car/house unlocked, you'll get nothing.
All the best.

I wouldn't be mentioning that your door may or may not have been locked for a start as that will give your insurance an easy out. notify police and notify insurance are all you can really do at this point apart from go looking for it yourself at the usual dumping spots for local joy riders eg crown point, towneley car parks, Kebs(windmills) etc.
you could see if anywhere close by shops etc has cctv that may have caught the direction it went in. ask nicely and they may allow you to review it but they don't have too.

I sincerely hope the lost keys didn't include a house key. As stated , I wouldn't mention the keys to the insurance. Use the spare if they ask for it. Good Luck.

Ask taxi firms to keep an eye out. I was working in a pub years ago in Little Harwood and a customer had his stolen. We phoned the taxi firms and one was behind it in Blackburn. Police stopped him within about 20 mins of it being stolen.

This might be helpful:

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-park ... on=Burnley

Be prepared to do lots of walking

Contact the police and as you have said to us tell them that your doors were locked last night - there are plenty of ways that the keys could have been stolen. Common one recently is to stick a hook on a stick and fish them out through a letter box. Let the police work out how they have got in.

Ring the police first - they should be there soon and will send out forensics people later to look for footprints etc.

Then ring the insurance company - tell them you need a locksmith out as soon as possible as unfortunately you will need to change the locks on your doors since they've got your house keys. You'll need to ring your home insurance for this. You'll need to ring your motor insurance for your car of course.

Get the police to give you a crime reference.

And get prepared for a busy few weeks dealing with insurance companies and the police. Even if you get the car back you will still need to change your door locks.

Good luck

I never could understand why they felt the need to change Railway Terrace to Russell Terrace.
I know there's no Railway there anymore, but there's still plenty of 'Station Roads' etc about where stations no longer exist.

You will have locked up, and they will have fish-hooked your keys from outside. That's how they do things these days.

Get on to the police, then get on to the insurers.

When I had a car nicked the police found it within a few days.

Sound advise on here. I will keep my eyes out for it today, am off work as lad starts summer break from school and will be out and about. Not much more that you can do really. Police will run it through their recognition cameras and hopefully pick it up heading somewhere. Cameras though are only useful if the vehicle trips them (Not speed ones) If the criminals are local, which is likely (no offence, bit its not a prestige type vehicle) they may know the cams locations. If only there were more bobbies about!!
Good luck C&J

UpTheBeehole wrote:You will have locked up, and they will have fish-hooked your keys from outside. That's how they do things these days.

Get on to the police, then get on to the insurers.

When I had a car nicked the police found it within a few days.

It was burned out on the moors mind

I'd also delete this thread

Seems very odd to me that you've only just bought the car... who did you buy it from ?.. somewhere reputable ?.. it's been known for someone to sell a car privately and keep a spare key back.. you've supplied them with your address. . The seller knows it's a decent runner and knows someone who wants a decent engine and gearbox etc.. not saying this is what's happened but there are plenty of scrotes about.. having just acquired the car makes it possible...
In any case I'd definitely echo that you were totally sure everything was locked.
Hope you get positive news.

Check out the usual areas in Burnley where cars end up.
Someone probably stole it to get home.Check out the more dodgy areas in Nelson and Colne too.
Good luck

Bad way to start the day, CandJ. Hope you are lucky and get things sorted quickly.

I'd recommend that you keep to the facts with the insurance. Be accurate with your answers to their questions.

To be fair what Paul has said is correct. If your car is recovered and there is no sign of forced entry it may be obvious you weren't telling the truth and get your insurance cancelled. Good luck getting it back

Depends on your insurance, how much no claims you have and is it protected, but think is it worth claiming for a car of that value? For what they would pay out.

It might be worth people keeping an eye out on facebook buy and sell groups

bfcmatt wrote:To be fair what Paul has said is correct. If your car is recovered and there is no sign of forced entry it may be obvious you weren't telling the truth and get your insurance cancelled. Good luck getting it back

Just out interest, how would they know by finding the car if the house was locked?

Fwiw I think you should be truthful though

I used to work for a stolen vehicle recovery firm and it's worth noting that back in 2013, around 40-50% of vehicles were stolen using the keys. As has been mentioned above, as lots of people keep their car keys close to the front door, thieves will 'fish hook' them through the letterbox using a telescopic aerial.

Most cars these days are that well secured you can't steal them without the keys anyway, unless you hoist it onto a transporter.

mybloodisclaret wrote:Just out interest, how would they know by finding the car if the house was locked?

Fwiw I think you should be truthful though

If the car has no sign of forced entry and the locks haven't been damaged they would have had to have used a key?

Be very careful what you say to the police and insurance company. Just to give you an example. I phoned my insurers 2.5 years ago because I damaged a wheel on my car, no accident or anything, just caught it on a rock sticking out when driving slowly and enquired about claiming for it, when they told me I'd have to pay the £250 excess I said I wouldn't bother.

I received a quote from another insurer last week and when I accepted it they told me it was £60 dearer because I had made a claim 2.5 years ago which I hadn't declared. Basically my old insurers had made a note of my enquiry and apparently this counts as an incident even though no claim was made and counts as a claim.

So be adamant that your house and car were both locked. Don't even hint at anything else. And then be open and honest about the rest. Definitely claim for new locks from your insurance as well and get them changed asap.

If you've given the police the reg of your car, they can use ANPR camera tech to see if it's been spotted on any roads.

Paul Waine wrote:Bad way to start the day, CandJ. Hope you are lucky and get things sorted quickly.

I'd recommend that you keep to the facts with the insurance. Be accurate with your answers to their questions.

And if you can't be accurate, write down your answers for any future paperwork or phone calls.

They'll use any loop hole they can not to pay out.

It will be the twins off Dryden st that work with lads off Stoops estate.

They got £85 fines last week for months and months of crime sprees.

implodingturtle is probably driving it.

Quickenthetempo wrote:It will be the twins off Dryden st that work with lads off Stoops estate.

They got £85 fines last week for months and months of crime sprees.

Hi mate.

That's what the police have basically all but said.

I'm hoping it just turns up relatively undamaged and I can just get on with it. Insurance aren't going to pay out I don't think, due to the circumstances of it going missing.

ClaretAndJew wrote:Hi mate.

That's what the police have basically all but said.

I'm hoping it just turns up relatively undamaged and I can just get on with it. Insurance aren't going to pay out I don't think, due to the circumstances of it going missing.

What circumstances ?? What did you tell them ??

Great thread this, folk basically championing possible insurance fraud.

Probably the same folk that will complain when their insurance premiums increase year on year.

The best thing to do with your insurers is tell them the truth. If you have a valid claim, you will get paid out. If not you won't. I know people will argue this and will have a mate down the pub etc but it's true.

Also, generally. these days, if you don't tell the truth you get caught out due the various investigation techniques insurers use. If the keys have been used to drive the car, the insurers will be able to tell.

arise_sir_charge wrote:Great thread this, folk basically championing possible insurance fraud.

Probably the same folk that will complain when their insurance premiums increase year on year.

The best thing to do with your insurers is tell them the truth. If you have a valid claim, you will get paid out. If not you won't. I know people will argue this and will have a mate down the pub etc but it's true.

Also, generally. these days, if you don't tell the truth you get caught out due the various investigation techniques insurers use. If the keys have been used to drive the car, the insurers will be able to tell.

There's no scope for lying to my insurers regarding this cause the police have already said it's a case of my door being left unlocked and no forced entry.

I'm reluctant to go insurance until I know what's happening with the car. If it's in the same condition that It was before then I'm just going to keep using it. If it's burnt out and destroyed then I'll have no choice but to tell them but I won't get paid out on a claim when I've left the door unlocked.

Sigh.

It's a nightmare that it's happened and I do feel very sorry for you but trust me when I say that lying to your insurers would only make it worse.

We all make mistakes like leaving the door unlocked and most of the time we get away with it. You've been very unlucky. Lying to your insurers as some folk have suggested wouldn't make it right.

There's no fraud about it. Last time I checked, you're not obliged to lock the door to your house every time you use it. Your keys will have been stolen by means of burglary. Anybody entering the house as a tresspasser with the intention to steal, commits the offence.

Absolutely no reason not to contact insurance company

itl be the gyppos from accy way or used a burner car throughout burnley/pad

Article in today's Times for those who are interested:

"Bus crash deception"

A woman who saw a bus crash into her parked car climbed into the driver's seat and claimed she had been injured. She sued Arriva for £3,000 after lying that she suffered whiplash. CCTV footage showed that she had been stood outside the car. She was given suspended jail sentence."

ClaretAndJew wrote:There's no scope for lying to my insurers regarding this cause the police have already said it's a case of my door being left unlocked and no forced entry.

I'm reluctant to go insurance until I know what's happening with the car. If it's in the same condition that It was before then I'm just going to keep using it. If it's burnt out and destroyed then I'll have no choice but to tell them but I won't get paid out on a claim when I've left the door unlocked.

Sigh.

How do they know there was no forced entry?
Also you can get into a car without forcing the locks

ClaretFelix wrote:There's no fraud about it. Last time I checked, you're not obliged to lock the door to your house every time you use it. Your keys will have been stolen by means of burglary. Anybody entering the house as a tresspasser with the intention to steal, commits the offence.

Absolutely no reason not to contact insurance company

I'm sure it all depends on the words in the insurance policy. Most policies require the insured to "take precautions" to safeguard against a loss.

joey13 wrote: How do they know there was no forced entry?
Also you can get into a car without forcing the locks

They've been out and looked, taken prints etc. My keys have gone, completely gone, I can't find them and it's the only logical scenario that I can think of at this time, I've stupidly left the door unlocked.

C&J, a few years ago had my car stolen having left the keys in the car and the car unlocked. I told my insurance company, the co-operative, the truth and they gave me £200. (That was what the car was worth by the way.)

ClaretAndJew wrote:They've been out and looked, taken prints etc. My keys have gone, completely gone, I can't find them and it's the only logical scenario that I can think of at this time, I've stupidly left the door unlocked.

On at least one occasion I've left the car keys in the car over night. Car and keys were still there in the morning.

On other occasions I've left the car doors unlocked with the keys safe inside the house. Someone decided to break the lock - even though it was already unlocked - and see if there were any valuables in the glove box. The excess was more than the cost of a new lock, but why he didn't try the door first I don't understand.

ClaretAndJew wrote:They've been out and looked, taken prints etc. My keys have gone, completely gone, I can't find them and it's the only logical scenario that I can think of at this time, I've stupidly left the door unlocked.

Could your keys be reached from the front door. I.e. your letter box?

Darthlaw wrote:Could your keys be reached from the front door. I.e. your letter box?

I would have said yes, but the officer said not due to the angle of where the little ledge is compared to the letterbox.

OR they fished them out of your house through the letter box as has been suggested...

ClaretAndJew wrote:I would have said yes, but the officer said not due to the angle of where the little ledge is compared to the letterbox.

Balls to what the officer says unless they are an expert on the subject. I would be sure to state to your insurance company that in your opinion it is possible that they could be fished from your letter box if that is what you think.

As I've already said, 40-50% of cars were stolen with keys back in 2013 when I regularly got the stats. That figure certainly won't have decreased since then.

Not great for you but certainly a lesson to others to keep their car keys in a drawer or away from the front door.

Darthlaw wrote:Balls to what the officer says unless they are an expert on the subject. I would be sure to state to your insurance company that in your opinion it is possible that they could be fished from your letter box if that is what you think.

As I've already said, 40-50% of cars were stolen with keys back in 2013 when I regularly got the stats. That figure certainly won't have decreased since then.

Not great for you but certainly a lesson to others to keep their car keys in a drawer or away from the front door.

Thanks mate.

I'm just reluctant to claim, because I only have 2.5 years no claims bonus, and that only brings my insurance down a small amount, and my excess including mandatory is £350, and if they don't pay out due to the circumstances of the theft, then I'm out of pocket and without NCB's etc, right?

I dunno what to do.

Just walked on Hambletonian street a car has crashed into front of an house police are there as it's being towed away.Rumour is a young lad jumped out and ran off this a coincidence or may be your car C+J

Edit Hambledon street

Ptangyangkipperbang wrote:Just walked on Hambletonian street a car has crashed into front of an house police are there as it's being towed away.Rumour is a young lad jumped out and ran off this a coincidence or may be your car C+J

Did you see what kind of car it was mate?

I'm useless with car makes but a grey blue colour if that helps

ClaretAndJew wrote:Thanks mate.

I'm just reluctant to claim, because I only have 2.5 years no claims bonus, and that only brings my insurance down a small amount, and my excess including mandatory is £350, and if they don't pay out due to the circumstances of the theft, then I'm out of pocket and without NCB's etc, right?

I dunno what to do.

If you claim, next year you'll have 0 no claims bonus. That coupled with your £350 excess should help you make your decision. Ultimately if the vehicle isn't recovered or is recovered damaged / burnt out you're under no obligation to report it to your insurers unless you wish to make a claim. All you need to do is change the insured car on the policy or cancel the policy. You're not obliged to give a reason why.