A FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD boy was being questioned by police last night after a taxi was stolen from outside a supermarket with An elderly woman sitting in the back.

The incident, at the Tesco Extra store, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, yesterday, left a trail of destruction, with damage caused to more than a dozen cars parked in the store car park.

It is understood the driver of the taxi, a woman employed by town firm Star Cabs, was helping the lady’s husband with her shopping when the car was taken from the Greenwell Road store at about 2.40pm.

Last night, a spokeswoman for Star Cabs told The Northern Echo: “The husband of the old lady had been putting groceries into the boot and the driver had got out to close it. The old lady had got into the car and, while the husband was putting the trolley back, the driver closed the boot and the car was stolen at that moment. They just jumped straight in.”

What happened next shocked everyone.

“We counted about nine or ten damaged cars, but allegedly there has been up to 19 and they had been more than just pranged,” the firm’s spokeswoman said. It is understood that once the situation had been brought under control, Tesco staff took the elderly woman into the store where she was cared for. She was not believed to have suffered any injuries.

“Everybody was shocked that anybody could have done this kind of thing,” the taxi spokeswoman said. “We are very grateful that the old lady involved didn’t come to any harm and that no major accident was caused, because somebody could have been seriously injured.

“The taxi driver is absolutely fine. Luckily, she was out of the car at the time, but she is in shock.”

A spokesman for Durham Police said officers were still investigating the incident.

“There has been a taxi stolen and we have, currently, a 14-year-old male in custody in relation to this,” he said.

“It is being treated as an aggravated vehicle-taking and we believe at this stage 15 vehicles have been damaged.”