Grab and smash

The late night drama on Saturday in Lancing started when a neighbour heard noises coming from a garage compound in Shadwells Close. He looked out of the window and saw a jet ski on a trailer being pulled out of a garage which had had its door jemmied open.

The thief then attached it to his car and drove off at speed. The resident phoned 999 having noted down a description of the car and registration plate number.

But minutes later the suspect crashed into a parked BMW in Grinstead Lane abandoning the jet ski and trailer and driving off northwards towards the A27.

The owner of the BMW came out of his house to discover his car had been damaged but he also managed to get a description of the getaway car and vehicle number.

Police officers immediately started searching for it in the area while the garage compound was sealed off for forensic examination. They seized the 2,200 jet ski and trailer from Grinstead Lane. The suspect car was later found dumped.

* A thief who went to a back garden in Shadwells Close, Lancing on Saturday night and stole power tools including a Wickes router and Black & Decker sander.