RUNAWAY lovers Matthew Brooks and Naomi Mills are set to make £100,000 after pedalling their story - but have yet to pay for the car they fled in.

Car salesman, John Hemming, of BJH Motors in Worcester, says he is "furious" that the couple, who sparked a four-day police hunt when they vanished, are cashing in but still owe him £2,000.

"They seem to have forgotten all about us, which is not on," said Mr Hemming, whose father Bert owns the Rainbow Hill garage.

Former policeman Matthew Brooks visited Mr Hemming's garage on the morning the duo disappeared, Friday, February 28, and arranged to part-exchange his F-registration Volvo for a Vauxhall Astra convertible.

"He wanted to take it away and get a quote to have it re-sprayed," said 28-year-old Mr Hemming.

"I said he could for a £50 deposit, which he put on his credit card and he left his car here.

"I didn't think it would be a problem, what with him being a policeman.

"But the next time I saw the car, it was on television, partially submerged in the sea in Scotland. I couldn't believe it."

He said Matthew had phoned him on the Friday afternoon to say the car had broken down.

"He said he would have it towed back to the garage that evening or Saturday morning. I haven't spoken to him since."

Police launched a major land and sea search for Matthew, aged 22, and Naomi, 15, after the K-registration car was found on a causeway near the Kyle of Tongue, north Scotland.

The couple were eventually found on a Highland road by a passing journalist who tipped-off police.

Matthew was arrested on suspicion of abduction and resigned from his job at Worcester police station.

However, West Mercia police announced last week they would not be pressing charges, paving the way for the couple to sell their story to the highest bidder.

PR guru, Max Clifford, said yesterday that Matthew and Naomi, who is now 16, stand to make around £100,000 after speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Daily Mail and ITV's Tonight show with Sir Trevor McDonald. This amount of money has angered Mr Hemming.

"The Astra is worth nothing but scrap now and we haven't even got the keys to Matthew's car, so that's useless," he said.

"We didn't press charges because we thought he was in enough trouble.

"But he seems to have got away with everything and we're the ones picking up the pieces."

Matthew Brooks claimed in a Sunday newspaper article that he was paying for the car in small instalments.