Car stolen whilst man was washing it in driveway is found… 12 miles down the road

A car that was stolen from its owner’s driveway has been found.

Gary Crawford’s brand new hatchback had been jacked by a thief while he was cleaning it outside his Rosehearty home yesterday morning.

At the time, the 25-year-old launched an appeal in the Press and Journal to track it down and his story was shared more than 500 times on Facebook.

It was found last night, unharmed, in the Gardenstown area.

The white Volkswagen Polo had been driven 12 miles from Rosehearty before being abandoned.

Police are continuing to probe the incident, but do not believe it is linked to any other car crime in the north-east.

A spokeswoman for the force said: “It was later recovered in the Gardenstown area.

“Inquiries are ongoing, and police would appeal for anyone who saw something unusual or suspicious to contact them on 101.”

Locks on the GTI-model vehicle are currently being changed to prevent the thief using a cloned key to later target the vehicle again.