THEFTS of motor vehicles in Lancashire have risen by more than 50 per cent in the last four years, new figures show.

Drivers are being urged to make their cars less easy targets after figures revealed the county’s police force dealt with 2,634 stolen vehicle reports in 2018-19 - 56 per cent more than the 1,691 cases seen in 2014-15.

A total of 152,541 vehicles were stolen in 2018-19 across Great Britain, a rise of 56% compared to 2014-15.

The force that saw the biggest hike in offences was Suffolk Constabulary, where incidents increased by 172 per cent from 347 to 945.

This was followed by Surrey Police, with a 13 per cent increase, from 661 to 1,543.

Government data shows that thieves used a key in nearly half of incidents, indicating that many drivers can do more to protect their vehicles

RAC Insurance spokesman Simon Williams said: “Vehicle thefts are on the rise almost everywhere, and in some parts of the country numbers are rocketing.

“It’s also not the case that the rises in crime are confined to a few larger urban areas.