Alleged thieves were filmed driving off with a BMW from the forecourt of a petrol station in north London recently as the horrified owner of the vehicle attempted to block their getaway.

Footage filmed on May 5 at a BP station on Oakleigh Road South in
Southgate showed the desperate owner leaning on the bonnet of the vehicle as the alleged criminals begin to drive away.

They appear to be willing to run him down, so he steps out of the way and they speed off.

According to the filmer of the clip, who prefers not to be named, there is a spate of keyless car theft taking place in the Barnet area.

"They are pulling up beside drivers that are filling up," she said.

"They are using some sort of device to open and start the car," she added.

Keyless car theft relies on technology that relays the signal from the real key to the criminals' device which then allows them to operate the car.

Keyless car theft reached an all time high in the UK in 2020 and represented 93 per cent of all theft, according to data analysis from the company Tracker.

2 men seen stealing a keyless bmw from The petrol station , it’s heard they are pulling up beside drivers that are filling there fuel , there using some sort of device to open and start the car . 2 more incidents happened with the same men in east Barnet