A suspected stolen car was seized by police in the Hall i'th' Wood area this week.

Officers seized the car from East Way after police said it was stolen from Smithills last week.

A spokesman for GMP Bolton North Neighbourhood Team said: "The car was found to be displaying false number plates and had been stolen from the Smithills area last week. It has been seized for our CSI officers to examine."

In recent months police have urged motorists to follow advice to keep their cars safe from criminals, especially those who have keyless vehicles.

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Cars with keyless entry unlock automatically when the key comes within a short distance of the car. This can be from inside a pocket or bag. If you have to push a button on your car key to open your car, that is not keyless entry.

Keyless car theft or 'relay theft' is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the key is close by. This unlocks the car and starts the ignition.

For those motorists police are urging drivers to invest in a in a signal blocking pouch; the thin metallic linking automatically blocks any wireless signals such as keyless car cloning devices.

Car thieves can steal a keyless vehicle in less than 30 seconds, police have warned.

For more information on how to prevent thieves from targeting vehicles visit https://www.gmp.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/preventing-car-vehicle-theft/