Purse, glasses stolen from car in smash-and-grab on Woodbury Common

A smash-and-grab on Woodbury Common yesterday (Wed 14 April) saw several items stolen from a parked car.

The owner of the car had gone for a walk with her grandson, who is disabled.

She returned to find a window smashed, with broken glass on the seats and in the footwell. Her bag, purse, and glasses were missing from the vehicle.

Lisa, her daughter, said: "My mum goes to Woodbury at least two to three times a week to walk her dog.

"She wouldn't usually leave valuables in the car but on this occasion she had planned to treat my son after the walk, hence having her purse.

"She also had her mobile with her but luckily took it with her to take photos of her grandson.

"There was just the rear passenger window smashed but it's blacked out glass so they would only have seen the bag if they put their hand up to the glass and peered in.

"My mum called the police immediately and was told to log it online which I did for her later.

"She was extremely upset to come back after their walk and find this. It also upset my son greatly who has autism.

"When my mum contacted her banks to cancel her cards, she was told they had attempted to withdraw £250 from Tesco Express in Sidmouth around 1pm .

"The whole situation has left my parents (my dad is also disabled and mum an OAP) feeling quite hurt and violated.

"They are good, honest people and things like this seem so unfair. They have been left footing the bill to repair the window, replace the bag, reading glasses and purse.

"It's such a shame as they've spoilt a place that my mum loves and has been walking on for over 50 years."

After the pictures were shared on social media, many people shared similar stories of when items were stolen from their vehicles, and Woodbury Common was highlighted as a particularly high-risk area.

Police have asked people to email [email protected] or call 101, quoting crime reference number CR/029425/21, if they have any information that would aid the enquiry.

They would also like to remind members of the public not to leave valuables in parked cars.