Christmas is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy time with your family and friends, but it also presents an opportunity to car thieves.

Unfortunately, criminals step up their operations during the festive season to callously exploit the fact that people are splashing their cash on gifts.

Cars are no exception and leading online auto accessories retailer Proppa is urging people to secure their vehicles.

Adam Weaver, founder and managing director of Proppa, said: “Your vehicle can be targeted at any time and any place, so you must be very vigilant.

“Steering locks are a good way to put thieves off the scent because they demonstrate that you are security conscious.

“You must also keep any valuable items you have left in the car well out of sight. This includes phones, iPods and iPads, laptops, shopping bags and, obviously, your wallet.”

It is especially important to prevent satellite navigation systems being stolen as many drivers are left out of pocket because their insurance cover won’t stretch to such high ticket items.