Thieves have broken into a car dealership in Wigan and stolen 148 sets of keys, leaving the business with a bill of more than £60,000.
The locks on every car at Cobra Car Sales in Atherton had to be changed after all the keys stored inside the showroom were burgled. Staff at the used car dealership have now offered a £5,000 reward to anyone who helps them locate the culprits and a further £1,000 for the stolen keys, the Leigh Journal reported.
Car dealerships will always be an attractive target for thieves because of the value of the items stored on the premises. As such, anyone selling cars from a dedicated premises needs to have a motor trade insurance policy that will provide insurance cover for the vehicles stored on site, as well as parts, equipment and the building itself.
Cobra Car Sales, which only began trading last November, was forced to close its doors to customers as it got new keys made for the cars.
Police say the break-in took place late at night on 21 September, with the criminal smashing in a rear window of the building to gain entrance. Once inside they stole the keys for all the vehicles in dealership as well as a CCTV unit and a snap-on diagnostic machine worth £3,000.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said investigations are on-going while the dealership has said it has stepped up its security measures to stop the thieves coming back with the stolen keys and trying to take the cars.
