Independent used car retailer Tones Garage suffered a COVID-19 lockdown blow when 11 of its vehicles were stolen in an overnight raid.

The Hartlepool-based operation was raided at some time between midnight and 5am – when the incident was discovered – yesterday (May 17), according to a report in the Hartlepool Mail.

A rapid response by Cleveland Police has seen a total of eight of the vehicles traced with one, a Jaguar, retrieved from a housing estate in the town within hours.

Commenting in the incident at the Oxford Road dealership, Cleveland Police’s detective constable Hollie Angus said: “This is a report of a significant theft of vehicles worth thousands of pounds.

“We would appeal to anyone who has any information, including dashcam or CCTV, to contact us on 101, with the reference 078865.”

Cleveland Police reported that three vehicles taken in the overnight raid remained unaccounted for.

They are: PN14FMZ, a white Volkswagen Touareg; KS67JVH, a black Mercedes E220; and NL15LPK, a silver Mercedes C200.