Manchester United star Paul Scholes was left red-faced when thieves stole his car – as he left it defrosting on his driveway with the engine running.
The Reds legend had nipped back inside his home in Oldham while the ice melted on the windscreen of his £30,000 Chevrolet Captiva LTZ estate.
When he went back out to check on the vehicle, it had disappeared.
The theft – between 7.45am to 8am Monday – was reported to police, who are now investigating.
Chevrolet sponsor United – and last September United players were offered a choice of the firm’s vehicles as part of the multi-million pound deal.
Sir Alex Ferguson banned his young stars from driving the company’s sporty Corvette model, which has a top speed of 196mph.
Although veteran Scholes wasn’t included in the ban, he opted for the less flashy Captiva model – billed by Chevrolet as a ‘do-it-all’ vehicle, ideally suited to daily family duties.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating after a car was stolen while the owner was defrosting the vehicle. The grey Chevrolet estate was stolen from the drive of a house in the Greenfield area of Oldham between 7.45am and 8am on Monday. Inquiries to locate the car are ongoing.”
Officers are advising other motorists defrosting their vehicles on cold mornings to watch out for opportunistic thieves.
Motorists are being urged to stay with their cars – and reminded that leaving their vehicle may invalidate their insurance policy.
If car owners need to leave their vehicle, they should remove all valuables, lock it and take the keys with them, say police.
The police spokesman added: “Motorists may be tempted to leave their vehicle with the engine running while they go inside to stay in the warm – however, it only takes a few seconds to steal a car when keys have been left in the ignition.”