VAN and 4x4 owners in a Hereford suburb are being warned of the risk of catalytic converter thefts.

Police will call on houses in the Bobblestock area next week where thefts of the devices have been reported.

Officers will focus on owners of large vans or 4x4’s as they are most at risk because the vehicles' body tends to be further from the ground, allowing thieves to get under the chassis and cut the exhaust pipe to remove the converters.

Catalytic converters are fitted to the exhaust system to remove or reduce pollutants being blown out from the engine.

Police say thefts have also been reported along with the A40 corridor in the south of the county, and Rotherwas.

PC Charles Naylor, Crime Risk Manager for Herefordshire Division, said, “We feel it is important to warn those vehicle owners most at risk and to suggest ways of combating the problem.

“Similarly, we would encourage neighbours and the community at large to be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour, the most obvious of which is seeing someone working underneath a vehicle in the hours of darkness.”

If anyone has information about thefts of catalytic converters, they should call the Public Service Desk at Hereford Police Station on 08457 444888.