EIGHT cars worth an estimated £50,000 were snatched from a garage forecourt in Droitwich.

The thieves forced out the window of the offices of Quality Cars in Worcester Road, Droitwich, before helping themselves to sets of keys between the evening of Monday, April 28 and 0830 hours on Tuesday morning.

Derek Cartilidge, manager of Quality cars, later spotted one vehicle left untouched with its keys in a pub car park. Another was also left undamaged outside a house just 100 yards from the garage.

"We are pleased to get two of the cars back, but puzzled at where they were left. One was in the Hanbury Turn pub on the A38 as though they'd just parked up for a pint," he said.

"They could have been coming back for the cars, but they certainly weren't very well hidden."

The eight cars were a green Ford Escort R956 LFX, a black Mercedes C180, M868 FUG a purple Rover 214, P73 TWS, a white Rover 216 Coupe L199 BVP, a grey Land Rover Discovery 393 TAG and a blue Vauxhall Vectra P386 CUY. The black Chrysler Neon and a gold Lexus were recovered.

PC Julie Merry is appealing to anyone who was in the vicinity of the garage and thinks they may have seen or heard anything suspicious to contact her on 08457 444 888 quoting 82S/290403.