A GANG of car thieves is using specialist lifting equipment and a transporter to steal vehicles left unattended at night.

Twelve cars have been stolen from compounds in Darwen and Great Harwood in the past week, despite the crooks not having the keys.

And evidence left at the scenes has led police to believe the gang either winched the cars onto a transporter or used a hi-abs' wagon with a crane.

Officers, who believe the gang has responded to a rise in the price of scrap metal, are now making inquiries at scrapyards throughout East Lancashire.

The thieves stole seven cars worth a total of £5,000 from Darwen Enterprise Centre, Railway Road, Darwen, between 7pm on Friday and 4.20am on Saturday.

Five more cars, worth around £3,100, were stolen from Angotti Auto Service, Mill Street, Great Harwood, between 7pm on Monday and 9.15am on Tuesday. Sgt Stuart Banks of Great Harwood police said: "The vehicles were in various states of disrepair and would not have been able to be driven away. Because of this we think that something like a transporter or a hi-abs wagon with a crane has been used.

"People might have seen what was going on but wouldn't have thought it was suspicious because it would look like scrap cars being taken away to the scrapyard."

Det Sgt Ian Geogarty of Darwen CID said: "There is every indication that they have been stolen for their scrap metal value.

"We don't have CCTV footage, but they may have been lifted away on a large vehicle because it is very unlikely for someone stealing cars to return several times to the same site.

"It looks like they've been lifted using specialist equipment because all around where the cars were parked were little pools of glass debris where windows have been smashed."

Paul Fitzsimmons, from Clarence Street Car Breakers in Darwen, said: "The price of scrap has doubled in the past couple of years, and I think it's down to expanding industries in places like China and India needing metal.

"An averaged-sized car would probably be worth about £80 as scrap metal.

"People do try to bring stolen cars to be scrapped, but we won't take them because you have to have all the documentation and get a Certificate of Destruction.

"Some unscrupulous dealers are taking the cars and weighing them straight in without the documents."

Martin Evans, who runs Scootlife, selling scooters, at Darwen Enterprise Centre said: "There are a few cars left out overnight because there is a mechanic and there are people working late at a bakery.

"It's a quiet area and I would say that you could get away with doing whatever you wanted unnoticed."

John Angotti, who has run Angotti Auto Services since 1981, said that the stolen cars would probably have been crushed the next morning.

He added: "They'll have lifted the five cars onto the wagon in 20 minutes and no one will have seen anything as it's dark around there.

Contact police on 0845 1253545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.