By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER
Brazen thieves have been caught on camera fleeing in a stolen car after breaking into a family home to steal the keys.
The thieves made their way into the house in Largs, a town in Scotland, in the middle of the night before driving off in a Volkswagen Golf on Sujnday at around 1:40am.
David Rae, 51, shared a post on social media in a bid to trace the thugs, and within hours an eagle-eyed Greenock resident told of seeing the vehicle - and swiftly called the police.
She spotted the car on a different street to the home at around 11.30am and, after seeing the social media post, returned at 6pm to see two men rushing back to the car.
The quick-thinking woman filmed the men heading away the scene in the stolen vehicle alongside two other cars - one of which was a black VW Caddy.
Father-of-two David, from Largs, said the incident has been 'really scary' for his family, who have been 'shaken up' by the incident.
'The worst thing about it is the break-in,' he said.
'I don't care about my car. I care that somebody was in my house. That's the scary part.
A man is seen entering the car after thieves broke into a home before quickly fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle
A quick-thinking woman filmed the men as they sped away in vehicles which included a black VW Caddy, down the road in Largs
A hooded man can be seen perusing the area next to the stolen vehicle. Mr Rae said the worst thing about the incident for him had been the 'break-in'
'I just want these idiots caught because it could be somebody else's house they're in next time. It could be a house with young children.
'You just don't know what they are capable of.'
He added they normally feel safe when at home, but over the past few days, even the sight of cars driving up to their house has been enough to put the family 'on edge'.
David shared the video, which currently has more than 600 shares on Facebook and more than 3,000 views on TikTok, and has had people from across Inverclyde and beyond reaching out with possible sightings.
He said the response from the public to his appeal has been 'absolutely phenomenal'.
'When I looked yesterday, my posts have reached over 800,000 people,' he said.
'I have had people messaging me saying the car is in Greenock, and people saying they have seen it on the M74 heading south.
'I just want to catch these guys, so I'm trying to reach as many people as possible.'
A Police Scotland spokesperson said the force received a report of a theft at around 1.40am on Sunday, August 3, from outside a property on Meadowbank Road, Largs'
Police have told David that his car was last seen in West Yorkshire, although the 51-year-old says he is still receiving messages of sightings in Greenock.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 1.40am on Sunday, August 3, we received a report of the theft of a vehicle from outside a property on Meadowbank Road, Largs.
'Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0404 of August 3.'