A nurse was “in hysterics” after thieves stole a catalytic converter from her car at the hospital she works at.
The woman’s husband, who did not want to be named, said his wife returned to her car after a shift at Aintree Hospital on Wednesday at around 4.30pm to find her vehicle was “a bit funny.”
At first the couple thought there was something wrong with their gearbox, but later found out the catalytic converter was stolen.
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Speaking to the ECHO, the man said: “My wife is a nurse in the hospital, she came out from a shift yesterday to find the car was a bit funny.
“At first we thought it was something in the gearbox but when we called the AA we found the catalytic converter had been stolen.”
The man said his wife was unable to sleep following the incident and said it was going to cost them £1,500 to get the car repaired.
Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “Apparently because there are so many being stolen, there is a long wait order on getting one, so it’s probably going to be one to two weeks that she is going to be without a car because of the wait for the catalytic converter.”
He added: “My Mrs was in hysterics yesterday and didn’t sleep all night and how she made it into work for her shift today, I don’t know.
“She was in total bits.”
The man said the couple were also told a catalytic converter was stolen from another staff member’s car in one of the hospital’s other car parks.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police confirmed they received two reports of stolen catalytic converters at Aintree Hospital on Wednesday and another at Whiston Hospital on the same day.
The first theft was reported at around 6.05pm, stolen from a Toyota Auris Hybrid in the car park of Aintree Hospital. This was followed by a further report at around 7.30pm from a Lexus Sport, police said.
At around 9.55pm a further report was received involving a Toyota Auris Hybrid while it was parked at Whiston Hospital.
An investigation is being carried out and inquiries are ongoing, including examining CCTV footage.
Officers are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage who were at the hospitals the time, witnessed suspicious behavior or anyone appearing to be working on cars, to please get in touch.
Community Inspector Sarah Rotherham said: “Theft of any nature is a distressing experience for anyone who is targeted, and these incidents of stolen catalytic converters from cars parked at the hospital is no different.
“We are taking these thefts very seriously and would appeal to people who were visiting both hospitals to please get in touch if you saw any suspicious activity or have dashcam footage of the thefts taking place.”
Anyone with information on these incidents, or vehicle theft in their community should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.
