BURGLARS forced their way into a house in the middle of the afternoon, stole car keys to a high-end Skoda Octavia and made off with the vehicle.

Just before 3pm on Tuesday, January 17, the thieves broke into a house on the Whitworth Park estate, Spennymoor, County Durham, via the rear patio doors.

The intruders, thought to be two men, stole the keys to a white Skoda Octavia vRS and subsequently drove away with the vehicle.

It was later found abandoned in the Coundon area, near Bishop Auckland, minus a child seat and a golf trolley.

A dark green old model Mercedes Benz four-door saloon was seen entering the street and leaving shortly after, followed by the stolen vehicle.

Police are keeping an open mind on whether the Mercedes, which appeared to have a broken or low suspension to the rear of the vehicle, was connected to the break-in and the theft of the Octavia.

  • Anyone with information is asked to ring Durham police on 101 and ask for Detective Constable Stu Chaney in Bishop Auckland CID quoting incident reference 280 of January 17.