Thief steals catalytic converter from car in Kettering street

A thief stole the catalytic converter from a car which was parked up in Kettering last night (Thursday).

The silver Honda FRV was in Shakespeare Road when it was targeted betweeen 9pm and 9.30pm.

Catalytic converters, devices fitted to vehicle exhausts to reduce the amount of dangerous gases emitted, are stolen because they contain valuable metals.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who may have any information relating to the theft or that may have been in the area around the time of the incident and heard or seen anything suspicious.

"Please call us on 101.”

Last year a study by insurance firm GoShorty found Northamptonshire had the UK’s 8th worst rate of catalytic converter thefts.

A total of 606 thefts were reported from 2020 to 2022 – a rate of 118 per 100,000 people. London (excluding the City of London) had the highest rate with 502 thefts per 100,000 people.