A LUXURY car stolen in Turton turned up in Poland - and an international theft ring is thought to be responsible.

The £52,000 Porsche Carrera 911 was recovered more than a month the owner was tricked into accepting a fake banker's draft in return for the black high-powered vehicle.

The crime is now being investigated by Kent police as part of a probe into the transportation of high-performance cars for re-sale in the Eastern European and Middle East markets.

Det Sgt Ian Geogarty, of Darwen CID, said: "It's certainly more of a case of being stolen to order than an off-chance theft.

"It can't be discounted that it is part of an international theft ring."

The owner advertised the car for sale in a trade magazine and was contacted by smartly dressed man who gave him a fake banker's draft for the full amount.

The fraudster drove off in the car at about 6pm on March 18.

Three days later the victim discovered the crime and told police but the Porsche would have already left the country.

The vehicle was found near the Poland-Latvia border and a man from London has since been arrested in Kent in connection with the theft.

High-performance cars are being stolen to order from the UK and shipped abroad where they are sold by gangs at a huge profit.

During one night in May last year a gang made off with three luxury cars from the area - a Subaru from Edgworth, a BMW from Darwen and an X-type Jaguar from Hoddlesden, after car keys were grabbed from homes.

A few months earlier, seven cars worth about £40,000 each were stolen in one weekend in Burnley.

Police believe a gang were travelling into East Lancashire from Bradford to target luxury and high-performance models such as Porches and Mercedes.