Four luxury cars have been stolen by thieves who waited as their owners left them unattended with their engines running while they warmed up.

The cars were all taken from homes within a mile of each other at villages in Lancashire on Wednesday morning.

The police helicopter was scrambled to look for the vehicles, taken from the villages of Wheelton and Healey near Chorley.

Three of the thefts happened within a few minutes of each other, at around 0730 GMT, and the fourth an hour later.

These vehicles must have been watched by the thieves Inspector Stuart Coates

Police believe a gang may be responsible.

The vehicle's owners had left them unattended while their windscreens and windows defrosted.

A blue S-type Jaguar was driven away from a driveway at Heapey just after 0730 GMT.

Only a few minutes later, the owner of a silver Vectra V56 reported the car missing from Wheelton.

Police warning

The third vehicle, a black Mercedes C180, was driven away from outside a house in Wheelton at about 0745 GMT.

At 0840 GMT a fourth car, a black Volvo V70, was taken from outside a house in Higher Wheelton.

Officers are warning drivers not to leave their cars unattended with the engine running.

Inspector Stuart Coates, of Lancashire Police, said: "These vehicles must have been watched by the thieves."

He added that at least four people must have been involved in the thefts to take so many cars in such a short space of time.