A PENSIONER has warned motorists to keep their cars locked after £200 was stolen from her car.

Val Williams said her heart sank when she went to get the charity cash and it had been taken from her car on her drive in Brecon Drive, Blackburn, on Wednesday.

The 71-year-old said the money was in a Children in Need yellow bag in the footwell on the passenger side of her Toyota Avensis.

Ms Williams said she called the police but does not have high hopes for the cash being found.

She said: “I’m very silly to do such a thing and now I feel awful.

“The car has auto-locking doors but I must not have checked or realised they were unlocked.

“I stupidly left the money in view so if someone had seen it they would have tried to open it.”

Ms Williams, who does a lot of charity work for autism, said she is trying to go through CCTV to find the person responsible.

She said the man who took the cash had a brightly coloured hood.

She said: “I want to warn everyone to not make the same mistake as I have done.

“Keep everything away from sight, it’s just not worth the risk.

“I hadn’t left my car in a place I didn’t know, it was outside my house.

“I was going to go to the bank with the money so I left it in the car on my drive."

Sergeant Jon Cisco said: “Opportunists will prey on motorists who leave their cars insecure.

“In addition, valuables left on display will be attractive to criminals.

“Please do not make it easy for those with criminal intent and ensure that items are out of sight and vehicles secured properly.”

Call the police on 101.