A CROOK who duped an unsuspecting car-seller into taking him for a test drive in his high-performance saloon shoved the owner out in the middle of nowhere - and sped off.

The victim, who found himself dumped in a country lane near Elmley Castle, could only watch as the thief roared off in his £26,000 Audi Quattro Sport.

A Worcester police spokeswoman said the owner had advertised the car, registration V945 SWL, for sale over the weekend.

Shaken

The thief, a black man aged around 24, phoned his Bricklehampton home, near Pershore, and asked to take the car for a test drive.

He turned up in a smart suit at around 5pm on Monday.

"The owner was with him in the passenger seat when he was told to get out of the vehicle - which he did," she said.

"He was quite shaken up by it. It was a nasty experience."

The black and silver car was last seen heading towards Elmley Castle.

Anyone with information can contact Det Con Mark Chapell, at Worcester police station, on 01905 723888.