A MAN was forced to hurl himself to safety after thieves who stole his high-performance car tried to run him over as he lay in the road.

Lee Norris, 21, of Brook Street, Kidderminster, hung out of his B-registration Ford Escort RS Turbo as a man, posing as a prospective buyer, drove off at speed, swerving in a bid to throw him out.

He was eventually thrown clear after 150 yards but as he lay on the road, a BMW containing three other men who had arrived with the driver, deliberately drove at Mr Norris, forcing him to roll clear.

"If I had not moved out of the way they would have gone over me, definitely. I'd put up a bit of resistance and they were prepared to do anything. I was in shock afterwards," he added.

Mr Norris, who sells car parts at One-Stop Exhaust Shop on the Ikon Trading Estate, Kidderminster, said he had placed a for sale advertisement for the vehicle, worth £3,000, in a car sales magazine.

On Saturday at about 7pm, he received a call from a man who said he wanted to come and view the vehicle.

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

"I had a feeling that something wasn't right straightaway," said Mr Norris who moved the car to the front of his drive for it to be inspected before one of the men jumped in and drove off.

"There was nothing I could have done to stop them," said the victim. "I got their registration but the plates didn't match up to the vehicle. It was obviously stolen to order and is probably in a lock-up now in a hundred bits.

"I've heard of a few cases of cars being stolen in this way in the area. It is a high-performance car. It's pretty sought after. There's only 1,000 models around."

Anyone with any information about the theft of the car, registration B392 NAB,should contact Kidderminster Police on 01562 820888.