Brazen thieves flee street in stolen car after breaking into Ayrshire family's home
Brazen thieves have been captured fleeing a street in a stolen vehicle after a family home was broken into and their car keys were taken.
A family have been left 'frightened' after thugs broke into their home in Largs in the early hours of Sunday and stole car keys before driving off in their Volkswagen Golf.
In a bid to trace the thieves, David Rae, 51, posted on social media. Hours later, a quick-thinking Greenock resident remembered seeing the car and called the police.
She spotted the car on Neil Street at 11.30am and, after seeing the social media post, returned at 6pm to see two men rushing back to the car.
The quick-thinking Good Samaritan filmed the men fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle alongside two other cars - one of which was a black VW Caddy.
Dad-of-two David, from Largs, said the incident has been 'really scary' for his family and he is thankful for the support he has received.
"The worst thing about it is the break-in," he said. "I don't care about my car; I care that somebody was in my house. That's the scary part.
"I just want these idiots caught because it could be somebody else's house they're in next time. It could be a house with young children.
"You just don't know what they are capable of."
David said the family has been 'shaken up' by the incident. He said they normally feel safe when at home on Meadowbank Road, but over the past few days, even the sight of cars driving up to their house has been enough to put the family "on edge".
David shared the Neil Street video, which currently has more than 600 shares on Facebook and more than 3,000 views on TikTok, and has had people from across Inverclyde and beyond reaching out with possible sightings.
The response from the public to his appeal has been 'absolutely phenomenal', he said: "When I looked yesterday, my posts have reached over 800,000 people.
"I have had people messaging me saying the car is in Greenock, and people saying they have seen it on the M74 heading south.
"I just want to catch these guys, so I'm trying to reach as many people as possible."
Police have told David that his car was last seen in West Yorkshire, although the 51-year-old says he is still receiving messages of sightings in Greenock.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 1.40am on Sunday, August 3, we received a report of the theft of a vehicle from outside a property on Meadowbank Road, Largs.
" Enquiries are ongoing.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0404 of August 3."
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