A CARER from Oxford had a valuable part of her car stolen while she was shopping in Aldi.

The woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, was shopping at Aldi off the Eastern Bypass, and on returning to her car it would not start.

The woman then realised the catalytic converter had been stolen from the underside of her car. 

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She told the Oxford Mail: "I had gone to Aldi to go and pick up some couscous and then came back into the car and turned it on.

"There was this almighty rev, and the engine light came on. So I popped open my bonnet but couldn't find anything wrong with that.

"I rang my dad and he said it sounds like the cat's gone. So I went to look under the car and it was gone."

The woman recalled seeing a man near her car when she went into the store, but could not find him on her return. 

She added: "I went to Aldi and Homebase but neither said they had CCTV in the car park, they only had it inside their stores."

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The woman did not report the incident to the police as she could find no witnesses and had no CCTV footage. 

She said the theft has caused a 'huge amount of stress' to her and her family.

Oxford Mail:

The woman took this picture when she realised it had been stolen. 

She added: "My rent is due tomorrow, and now I have to pay loads to fix this.

"My cars in the garage so I can't use it now. I am a carer as well, I need my car to get to work. 

"My work has managed to sort out transport for the time being.

"I was not in the supermarket for more than 15 minutes, it was the last thing I need.

"I've heard lots of Hondas and Toyotas, any cars where the converter can be easily accessed, are involved in a lot of these jackings. It is very common."

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The incident occurred days after the police released a warning about several catalytic converter thefts taking place in Oxfordshire. 

Thames Valley Police warned owners of older models of Hondas and Toyotas that these cars are being targeted by 'shameless thieves' in Oxfordshire for their catalytic converters. 

A spokesperson for the force commented: "Thieves seem to be targeting slightly older Hondas and Toyotas as their catalytic converters are easy to remove.

"The police are actively investigating these crimes."