CCTV footage has captured the moment thieves steal a catalytic converter in Bolton

They struck near the town centre in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, January 29.

In the footage two men get out of another car and one reaches underneath a parked vehicle and gets the items from underneath the vehicle.

The theft took place on Cannon Street just before 1am.

Another man remained inside the vehicle which was used in the thefts.

One masked man used a saw to extract the item.

Catalytic converters contain rare metals which makes them a target for thieves.

They are often sold to scrap yards, online, or shipped overseas.

Ward councillor Ayyub Patel said there was fear in the area following the theft.

He said: “This is an awful crime which should not be underestimated.

“A member of the community has been left inconvenienced and significantly out of pocket after having to spend a large amount of money on vehicle repairs.

“There is a worry again about this and residents are living in fear again as this could happen to their car.”

Repairs can run into hundreds for motorists.

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There have been a number of such thefts in Boltonn.

In 2021 Farnworth was a highly targeted area, with a councillor saying a woman had stayed up all night watching the window due to a fear of the thefts.

It emerged earlier this year that Greater Manchester was suffering more of the thefts than other areas.

Last year there were 1,214 thefts of catalytic converters recorded by GMP.

The figure amounts to 101.97 per 100,000 households.

The area is the tenth worst in the country.

In London the figure was 298.87.

GMP has been approached for a comment.