A MAN had to throw himself to safety when thieves who had stolen his high performance car tried to run him over.

Lee Norris, from Kidderminster, was thrown out of his B-registration Ford Escort RS Turbo when one of the offenders drove off and swerved the car.

As Mr Norris lay on the road, a BMW containing three other men, who had arrived with the driver, deliberately drove at him.

The men were posing as prospective buyers of the car.

"If I had not moved out of the way they would have gone over me, definitely," said Mr Norris, aged 21.

He said that on Saturday, June 22, he received a call from a man who wanted to come and view the vehicle, which he had put up for sale at £3,000.

Two hours later, a BMW pulled up with four Asian men inside.

"I had a feeling that something wasn't right straight away," he said.

"I've heard of a few cases of cars being stolen in this way in the area.

"It was a high performance car.

"It's pretty sought after. There are only 1,000 models around."

Anyone with information about the offence should call Kidderminster police on 01562 820888.