An elderly woman from Letchworth has gone to extreme lengths to protect the wing mirror covers on her car after they have been stolen by thieves on as many as six occasions.
Jean Dickson cared for her ill husband for ten years before he passed away and now relies heavily on her Mini Cooper Convertible.
Now she has started wrapping the wing mirrors in plastic, chains and padlocks since recently replacing the covers for the sixth time.
The latest theft happened last weekend when the covers were swiped from Jean’s cream-coloured car – which was parked outside her property on Spring Road – while she was inside feeling unwell.
She told the Comet: “This is the sixth time it’s happened to me, and I have had enough.
“At first I had chrome coloured covers, and they have been stolen three times, then I got black ones and this is now the third time they have been stolen as well.
“It’s making me ill, I’m scared to leave the car out on the drive, and I can’t sleep at night.
“Over all the six times it’s happened it must have cost me £1,000. I’m a retired pensioner so for me that is a lot of money.
“I just think it has to be some kind of a joke – I know it’s happened to other people with the same car too.”
She continued: “I have to get the replacement wing mirror covers from a Mini specialist.
“To other people it probably seems like nothing, but to me they might as well be taking a million pounds.
“I feel like giving up, I just can’t take anymore. This car is all I have.”
Having reported each incident to the police with no-one arrested for the offences, Jean wants other Mini drivers to be alerted to the issue.
“People should be aware of it because it’s a large amount of money,” she added.
“I’m hoping that the police can put some cameras up – they said they would try, and I can’t afford to buy them and have them installed myself.”
Police are currently investigating the most recent theft which happened on Spring Road between 3pm on Sunday, October 15 and midday on Tuesday, October 17.
Anyone with any information should contact police on 101, quoting crime reference G2/17/2412.
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