CAR thieves took advantage of freezing temperatures to steal three top-of-the-range vehicles.

They struck three times in the space of only half a mile today after the owners left the engines running to defrost their vehicles on the drives of their homes.

The raiders swooped in the neighbouring villages of Wheelton and Heapey, near Chorley.

Within five minutes a Vauxhall Vectra V6, a Jaguar and a Mercedes Benz were driven off.

Lancashire police believe that members of one gang were responsible and timed the thefts to coincide with the rapid fall in overnight temperatures in the area.

The thieves are thought to have made their getaways along the nearby M61. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said there had not been any similar incidents in their area, but advised: "Car owners should never leave their vehicle unattended with the keys in it.

" If you are leaving your car, even for a few minutes you should always lock it and take the keys with you.

"With the cold weather, it may be tempting to leave the engine switched on so it can defrost, while you do other things.

"It only takes a few seconds to steal a car and we would advise people always to stay in their vehicle when the engine is running."