THIEVES took advantage of the cold weather when they stole a van after its owner left the engine running while the windscreen was de-icing.

Officers were called to the Fairfield area of Stockton, Teesside, after the blue Volkswagen caddy van was stolen at around 7.45am on Friday.

"Opportunist thieves take just seconds to strike, and there are thieves who will purposely go out to look for unattended vehicles on cold and frosty mornings," said a Cleveland Police spokeswoman.

"It’s important that motorists allow extra time on a morning to de-ice vehicles without having to leave them unattended and allow extra time for journeys on icy mornings."

Detective Inspector Jon Tapper said: “This is the second incident of this kind in the Stockton area since 1st January.

"We would again remind drivers that it takes thieves just seconds to seize an opportunity to steal vehicles which have been left unattended with keys in the ignition. This is more than likely to leave motorists’ insurance invalid and therefore severely out of pocket.”