THIEVES targeted a motorist who took his two-year-old grandson to watch the trains.
Grandad Stewart Reid left his Honda 4x4 for only a few minutes – and returned to discover that the vehicle’s catalytic converter had been stolen.
The crime, which has left the retired Daily Echo employee’s insurance company facing a bill of £1,400, follows a spate of similar thefts in Southampton.
Thieves stole a catalytic converter from a special needs minibus used by the Rose Road Association – and returned just days later to remove its replacement.
A similar device was torn from a minibus used by disabled children at Bitterne Park Secondary School.
Mr Reid, 62, of Totton, said thieves used a pair of boltcroppers to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle, which was parked near Beaulieu Road railway station.
He said: “I took my grandson to watch the trains and we were only gone for about half an hour.
“When we set off afterwards I heard a peculiar whistling or hissing sound. I managed to get home, but repairs will cost about £1,400.
“I’ll never leave my car unattended in the New Forest again.”
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