Granny tackles cheeky car thief

A SIX-foot thief met his match when he tried to steal a Felixstowe grandma's luxury car.

Heather Manning fought with the cheeky car-jacker after he leapt into her car, which was parked on her street, while she was taking shopping in to her house.

She screamed and tugged at the thief, but he managed to pull free and drive off in her Mercedes C180.

But after five days of worry Mrs Manning has been reunited with her white car after it was found near the docks.

Mrs Manning, who is in her 70's (and will reveal no more), had bought her weekly shopping back from the supermarket and had started to unload it in to her house in Micklegate Road.

As she returned for another load of shopping a man jumped in to the driving seat and attempted to drive off. But Mrs Manning, the mother of Manning's Amusements owner, Charlie Manning, managed to grab hold of the man and attempt to pull him out.

"I was getting the shopping and this chappy walked past. He went straight in my car, all in broad daylight," she said.

"I called him everything, I was trying to pull him out, the air must have been blue. I tried to pull him out, but he locked the door and shot off."

The car sped off on to the sea front towards the pier on Friday, June 28 at around 6.15pm.

Shaken Mrs Manning informed the police, who started a search for the car. And less than a week after it was stolen, the police called her and told her that her car had been found near a McDonald's drive-thru restaurant at Walton Avenue, Felixstowe.

"I'm so pleased. I was very lucky, all my little knick knacks in the back were still there," she said.

"The police gave the number of the car and went down and found it for me. It even had the shopping in the back still."

Someone informed the police of the car's whereabouts after it had been left in the same spot near their home for three to four days.

Mrs Manning said she was relieved the car had been found in a good condition with only a few scratches on the bonnet.

She believes the man, who was thought to be aged in his early 40s, with dark hair, had not been a thief who wanted to sell her car on because he had left her Mercedes in a place where it would easily be found.

"He was not a thief, I think he wanted to get down to catch a boat. He evidently just wanted to get down there."

However the car keys were not found with the car, and although Mrs Manning has a spare pair, she has had the locks changed in case the thief returns.

Police are looking for the white man who had been wearing a dark grey coat on June 28. Anyone with information about the theft should contact Felixstowe police on 01473 383300.