GANGS of car-parts thieves are once again targeting high-value Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles across Bradford district - almost seven months after police mounted an operation to combat the epidemic.

Eleven thefts of parts - including headlights, grilles and doors - were reported to police in only 24 days.

Last May, police set up Operation Emporia in an attempt to nail the culprits after a number of people came forward to say their cars had been stripped of parts, with the cost of the damage running into thousands per victim.

Now, police are again urging owners of Land Rovers and Range Rovers to be vigilant.

Among the latest thefts were two in the multi-storey NCP car park on Hall Ings, Bradford, where a Land Rover Discovery and a Range Rover Sport were stripped of headlights after thieves smashed their way through passenger-side windows and popped open the bonnets.

The most recent happened on Wednesday while the Range Rover Sport was parked on level 13 of the car park. It was the second time the vehicle's woman owner had been a victim of the same type of theft this year.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said it would hit her hard financially, adding: "I am traumatised. I have to go to Bradford every day to work. Once again I am going to be thinking 'where do I park?'.

"I work hard. I have a nice car, but we should be able to have a nice car when we work hard.

"I think Land Rover should respond about the fact that the lights are so easy to get out."

She added: "I still feel that Range Rover are not recognising that this is a design fault. I'm really disappointed."

Another victim, whose £60,000 Land Rover Discovery was stripped of headlights while parked on level six of the Hall Ings NCP on November 21, said: "I’d just finished work for the day shortly after 7pm and I walked back to find that the passenger side window had been put through.

"At first, I didn’t think anything had been taken, then I walked round to the front of the vehicle and could hardly believe my eyes – the front headlights had been ripped out.

"It was a nightmare."

Of the nine other thefts, four were in Bradford, two in Oxenhope, two in Oakworth, and one in Queensbury.

Seven of them involved headlights or headlights and grille being stolen, one vehicle was stripped of its bonnet, two front doors and a back door, while another had a bonnet stolen.

Detective Chief Inspector Jonny Blackwell, of Bradford District Police, said: "We would urge owners to be vigilant. We would also advise people to be wary of purchasing second-hand parts, as anyone whose vehicle is suspected of being fitted with stolen parts may be prosecuted.

"Owners of Land Rovers or Range Rovers with concerns their vehicle may be targeted are asked to contact their local area neighbourhood team for crime prevention advice."

Detective Sergeant Graham Dyson, of Bradford District CID, said police were not currently linking the incidents.

A spokesman for Land Rover said: "This is not an opportunist theft, but a targeted criminal act by unscrupulous individuals.

All Land Rovers have - and continue to - met the insurance industry requirements as tested and agreed with the relevant insurance bodies."

A Volkswagen Scirocco parked in the Hall Ings NCP was also broken into on Wednesday, and a built-in satellite navigation system stolen.

NCP manager Mark Lindsey said the car park had eight CCTV cameras located at entrances, exits, pay machines, stairwells, the lift, and fire exits.

He added: "We do not have cameras on every individual level of the car park. That is a similar thing around most other multi-storey car parks."

Since last April, said Mr Lindsey, and prior to Wednesday's two break-ins, there had been five vehicle break-ins at the two Bradford NCP car parks - three at the New Southgate site and two at Hall Ings.

Mr Lindsey, who said the Hall Ings car park achieved a safer parking status Park Mark award a month ago, added that extra staff were preferable over CCTV cameras and that new employees would be starting on January 1.

"Rather than investing in additional cameras, I would rather invest in additional head count and have more staff around there," said Mr Lindsey. "With increased visibility of staff around the site, there is more of a chance they might get caught."