A shopper was left footing the bill for her destroyed car after Tesco refused to take responsibility and the police investigation stalled.  

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, had her car targeted in a brazen stint in broad daylight in Amersham last week (September 12).

While her shopping trip to Tesco Superstore on Lond Road Road West lasted only around 25 minutes, it was enough time for the thieves to cut through a pipe, which connects the catalytic converter to the car – still an expensive damage although the two men were disturbed and drove off before they succeeded removing it.

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She said: “Moments later, that would have been the end of my car, it would have been gone.”

At first, it seemed the thieves had only cut through one part of the car, but to her shock, the garage later discovered that the quick thieves also cut the top of the connection, which seemed unfixable, meaning her Honda might be written off.

In the end, her car was fixed as “the garage managed to weld the front as well as the back in the end, but it cost a lot of money.”

Parking at Tesco car park doesn’t feel safe now, and “the management weren’t’ that interested.”

She said: “I managed to get the manager to come down and see me, and I asked him to come and look at the spot, where it happened.

“But he wasn’t very willing in the first place, and he really just said it was a Council car park and not their responsibility.

“He was sympathetic, and he did come out to the spot to have a look, but it just gave me the impression that Tesco were not going to take any responsibility at all.

“So, you think it’s going to happen again then, isn’t it.”

However, the Buckinghamshire Council confirmed the Tesco car park wasn’t managed by them.

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A Tesco spokesperson responded: “We’re very sorry to hear of this incident and will fully assist the police with their enquiries.”

After alerting the police to the incident and providing as much information as possible, to her dismay she was soon told the investigation would be closed.

Thames Valley Police said: “Officers conducted enquiries into the reported incident.

“The investigation has been filed, pending any further evidence or information coming to light.”

Heycar.co.uk, an advise website for car buyers, estimated a catalytic converter containing platinum, palladium and rhodium can be worth more than gold – between £500 to £1000 in scrap value.

They suggest people park to prevent access underneath by parking close to a wall, get a serial number marked on your catalytic converter and a window sticker saying your converter is marked, ask a garage to weld the bolts shut, to park in well-lit areas, and to get a ‘CatClamp’ device.