CAR drivers left out in the cold by thieves who have driven off in their vehicles after leaving them with their engines running to warm up in the icy weather have been warned that insurance companies are unlikely to pay out on the resulting claims.

West Midlands Police issued a warning against leaving idling cars unattended after 20 vehicles with a total value of £300,000 were stolen from outside homes. And the Association of British Insurers said insurance companies may consider leaving a car with the key in the ignition as not constituting reasonable care and refuse to meet a claim.

An ABI spokesman said: 'If an owner leaves the car on the road with the engine running it would be hard to prove a case of reasonable care. They would only have a case if the thief had to scale a gate or a wall to get to the car.'