Sheffield man devastated as thieves strip car he spent seven months saving up for

Rhys Smith, aged 18, of Winn Close, Middlewood, fears he may be the latest victim of a gang stripping cars across Sheffield.

His Vauxhall Corsa was parked outside his home overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday when thieves stole the bonnet, front bumper and lights.

They also smashed a window to steal a dashcam from inside.

Rhys, a car bodyshop repairer, paid £6,800 for his car after working 70 hours a week over seven months to save up.

A number of similar thefts have been reported to South Yorkshire Police over recent weeks.

Another white Cors was stripped of parts on Pen Nook Drive, Deepcar, in the early hours of Monday, and on December 20, two Vauxhalls parked on Liberty Hill and Deer Park Way were stripped.

That same week thieves stripped a car parked on High Street, Ecclesfield, of its bonnet, number plate and front bumper.

Rhys said: “I had heard of Vauxhalls getting spripped, particularly Corsas, so I took precautions to make it as difficult as possible.

“I used to park the car right up against some bins to try to make it more difficult to get to the bonnet, but they still managed.

“It is devastating to work so hard to save up, for people to just come along and do this.

“I haven’t got a spare grand just lying around to replace the parts, so I’ve had to claim on the insurance, which has a £300 excess charge, then my insurance will go up next year.

“The police need to do more.”

He said he is disappointed at the police response to the theft after receiving a text message saying: “We have made the decision to file the report as there are no immediate lines of enquiry.

“Although an officer will not attend on this occasion, details of this crime have been passed to our policing teams for their awareness.

“No further updates will be made in relation to this crime unless any further information comes to light.”