Man plans to steal car as owner sat inside

A would-be thief attempted to steal a snow-covered car while the owner was sat inside with the engine running.

When the man opened the door, he found the Neil Kane, 49, doing paperwork while he waited for the BMW to warm up before scraping the snow off it.

The incident happened on Mr Kane's driveway in Kimpton near Harpenden, Hertfordshire at at 08:00 GMT.

The man expressed his surprise before running off and driving away in a red Audi, he said.

"I'd only been sitting in my BMW for 30 seconds with the engine running, so when the door was opened by a man in camouflage, I knew what was happening and stayed fairly cool," he said.

"I'm sure he was an opportunist wanting to steal a car, but it was completely covered in snow, so he couldn't see me inside.

"He even drove back past my home in his car, which had blacked-out windows, but it all happened too quickly for me to get his number plate."

A Hertfordshire Police spokesperson said: "We are warning people not to leave their vehicles unattended, with engines running while they are defrosting."