A Toyota Corolla was among the models stolen in Essex

Thieves made off with the Toyotas, including high-performance models worth up to �70,000, early on Thursday from a garage in Frinton, Essex, near Clacton-on-Sea.

The next morning, eight Porches, a Mercedes and a Lotus worth almost �500,000 in total were stolen from a dealer at Harston, Cambridgeshire.

Police found the Porsches, some of which were fitted with tracking devices, within 18 hours of the theft.

A spokeswoman for Essex Police said: "Officers in Clacton will be liaising with Cambridgeshire Constabulary after two incidents involving high-valued thefts of vehicles last week."

Crimes could be linked

She said the theft in Essex was discovered when workers emptying bins at Coronation Garage in Frinton at 0540 BST noticed a garage window had been smashed.

The thieves had managed to find the keys to the Rhino posts which stop the cars from being taken from the garage forecourt.

The Cambridgeshire thieves stole a silver Porsche Carrera 4

Initially three cars were stolen, but an hour later a fourth was taken and then an hour after that a fifth was stolen.

The spokeswoman said officers believed the same thieves were responsible for all of the thefts, but because of the delays between them, separate thefts could not be ruled out.

The cars stolen in Essex were two Celicas, one Corolla, one Roadster and one Yaris with a total retail value of between �60,000 and �70,000.

Police spotted one of the cars in London, but following a pursuit the driver managed to get away.

During the incident the Toyota collided with a van, injuring the two occupants.