A CAR owner has warned other catalytic converter owners following a "brazen" early morning attempt to steal his device.

The Bury resident, who doesn't want to be named, owns a Honda Accord, vehicles regularly fitted with catalytic converters.

The converter is a device that reduces toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from a combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants.

The devices are often targeted by thieves because they're valuable to scrap metal dealers and can be worth several hundreds of pounds.

CCTV stills captured by the resident in Eldon Street shows men in a van attempting to pull the device from the car.

The attempted theft came on Saturday morning.

The resident said: "Speaking to people around the Walmersley Road area, there seems to have been a lot of break-ins and a lot of talk about cars and motorbikes nearly being stolen.

"They were really brazen when they were doing it. It was 8am in the morning and me and my family were up for breakfast and eating at the time."

The would-be thieves attempted to get the device by pulling it off and desperately hitting it with a shovel.

However, the noise alerted a neighbour, who came out to confront them.

The car owner added: "They managed to loosen it but as they were about to get it off, a neighbour came out and shouted at them. They even shouted back at my neighbour which I thought was cheeky.

"I have seen videos online where they are usually really fast in doing it, with an angle grinder and other equipment, and are usually done in a minute.

"I think that they must have been opportunistic because they were there for around 20 minutes."

The thieves didn't managed to get the converter off, although they did snap some metal off the device, which they threw into their van.

The car owner said that he regularly uses his car for work and is now waiting on a replacement part.

He said that the two would-be thieves were in a black coloured Mercedes, which was a double cab open back lorry.

Greater Manchester Police has previously issued advice on keeping cars fitted with catalytic converters safe, following an increase in their usage.

They said: "The precious metal in catalytic converters has led to an increase in their theft. To keep yours safe, ask your car dealer if they can give you any advice on locks or guards that are approved by the vehicle manufacturer.

"Alternatively, try to make sure your vehicle is parked in a garage overnight, or if you have a commercial vehicle park it in a secure compound. If this isn’t possible, park in an area that’s well-lit and overlooked and try to park so that the converter can’t be easily reached by potential thieves. Vehicles that sit high above the road are particularly vulnerable."