Man caught trying Land Rover Defender handle in Rossendale

Aug 27, 2023

Residents are being warned to keep their cars safe after a man was spotted attempting to open car doors in Rossendale.

At around 10.45pm on Sunday (August 27), a Land Rover Defender door was attempted in Wiswell Close, Rawtenstall.

Martyn Ashworth, who shared CCTV footage of the incident on social media, said he was urged to check his camera after a neighbour warned they had caught somebody attempting to get into their car.

He did so and found the man to be on his driveway, frantically searching around the car, tugging on the door handle and looking into the vehicle with a torch.

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Martyn said: “Nothing was taken from the car and no damage as it looked like he was just trying doors and checking inside with a torch.

“We were unaware at the time until Monday (August 28) when a neighbour asked me to check my CCTV as they had footage of the same guy trying their car on the drive.

“It seems he made his way around a few different houses on the same street.

“It has not made us feel any different in the area as from what I see, it’s happened quite a lot in Rossendale these days.”

Councillor Mary Coogan (Whitewell, Labour) urged residents in the area to take extra care to ensure their vehicles are secured and to deter would-be thieves.

She said: "Everybody needs to be vigilant and ensure their cars are locked when not in use and leave no valuables on display.

“I urge anybody to contact the local authorities if they see anything suspicious.

"We need the community to pull together and be on the lookout for this kind of activity and crack down on criminal activity in the local area.”

Lancashire Police has been approached for comment.

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