VICTIMS of car thefts can now quite literally the brakes on the robbers.

For a new immobiliser being sold and fitted by an Edenfield company will foil thieves in their tracks by allowing the owner to remotely halt the stolen car by phone.

Loe Bank Motors at Bridge Mills is a local distributor of the innovative I-Mob equipment which gives owners far greater security and peace of mind when it comes to protecting and recovering their vehicles.

The equipment is secreted in the vehicle and if the car is stolen or tampered with, it will alert by the owner by telephone. He or she can then harness a series of options which includes stopping the stolen vehicle, keying in a maximum speed, communicating with those inside and pinpointing the exact location of the car.

The whole operation can be done either individually by the car owner or through an I-Mob monitoring centre.

And the system's major plus point is that it also allows the user to bring the car to a natural halt to thwart the thieves.

Mr Chris Sanderson, owner of Loe Bank Motors, explained: "A vehicle can only be stopped when it is actually stationary for two to three seconds, say at traffic lights. But the authority of the police is required."

His belief in the equipment is illustrated by the fact that Chris has actually fitted an I-Mob to his own Porsche.

"We are distributing the equipment. Car jacking is becoming quite common nowadays. But the I-Mob is an interactive vehicle security immobiliser," he says.

He stresses the device has numerous benefits in tracing and stopping stolen cars and on savings in terms of not having to fork out for a new vehicle or pay for repairs to any that are damaged by thieves.

Loe Bank Motors, which services and repairs a range of high-powered cars, is now selling and installing the I-Mob. "One you've got it, it brings total peace of mind," concluded Chris.