TWO thieves who attempted to steal parts of a van from a garage had a lucky escape after they drove past an unwitting police car when fleeing the scene.

Essex Police are investigating after two men gained entry to Wheel Repair it in Station Road, Sible Hedingham and attempted to steal a catalytic converter from a van.

The thieves were forced to flee the scene when garage owner Pete Mason called the police.

But they enjoyed a fortuitous escape when they drove past a police car which had given way to them. The officers were on the way to the incident.

Mr Mason said: “I was sitting at home and glanced at the CCTV and saw these two men underneath one of my vans and cutting the catalytic converter off.

“I called the police then drove to the garage myself but had to wait for police because I didn’t fancy tackling two guys armed with cutting equipment.

“I watched them chuck the converter over the fence and then run off to the nearby school to get their car. The police arrived and flashed the two guys to let them pass.

“I was shouting to get them to turn around but it was too late.”

The catalytic converter was later recovered from a hedge.

Mr Mason estimates he will still have pay £1,500 to repair the damage to the vehicle and the garage.

He said: “I have a full CCTV system in place but they never batted an eyelid.

“They had hoods up but they were so calm and arrogant. They were there for about 25 minutes.

“It’s frustrating because you can’t even put barbed wire on top of fences now. All you can do is make it harder for them.

“Police don’t have the resources. I was impressed at how quickly they got here, I can’t fault them for that.”

Essex Police confirmed they are continuing their investigation into the incident which took place at 8.35pm on Wednesday, November 15.