BRAZEN thieves armed with baseball bats waved at security cameras as they stole another catalytic converter from a car dealership.

Kestrels Motor Company, in Halstead, was the latest target for thieves after a gang of four men cut a converter from the bottom of a car.

The men were wearing balaclavas and were armed with baseball bats when they raided the dealership on Saturday.

Striking in the early hours, it is the latest incident at the dealership which says it has been plagued by thieves for the past six months.

The theft also comes following a raid on the Hume’s Bakery in Halstead which saw staff threatened with a metal pipe.

With each converter stolen, the dealership incurs costs ranging from £1,000 to £1,800.

A converter stolen from a company van once set the business back £2,800.

However, the damage isn’t claimable on insurance and most of the time, the cars are a write off due to the cost of repairing them

Now owner Steve Darbey is hoping residents will sit up and take notice.

He said: “We found out on Monday morning. We have CCTV and could see them looting in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“This has been going on for about six months. They use hand-held power cutters and can cut through a two-inch pipe in five seconds.

“They only ever take one at a time. It takes them about three and a half minutes and they’re gone. They know what they’re doing.

“One even waved at the camera. They’re brazen, without a doubt.

“We contact the police each time, but we’ve not seen a police officer.

“It is rife in Halstead at the moment and people need to be aware of how bad it is.

“We see their cars go past every night and they’re seeing which cars are parked up.

“We’ve been done and it’s getting more and more annoying.

“There are so many in Halstead, we need to raise awareness because someone is going to get hurt sooner or later.”