Catalytic converter theft has vastly increased over the last year according to new figures.
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by insurance aggregator Compare the Market has revealed that thefts of the emission control devices have shot up by 600 percent.
READ: Aftermarket warned that cat theft affects all vehicles
London was the hotspot for thefts, with 12,000 incidences being recorded in 2020. Birmingham and Coventry were second and third respectively, though the problem is spread in towns around the nation with Warrington, Wolverhampton and Middlesborough among those reporting the steepest increases. Stats were not available for Manchester or Bolton.
READ: CompareTheMarket research (External link)
The information did not include vehicle makes or models, but distributors have reported an increase in demand for catalysts for the Toyota Prius as well as various LCVs including the Mercedes Sprinter.
We are a garage who take our own scrap to the scrap yard. At Christmas we duly loaded the van with various metals including one catalytic convertor which we had change through the year … Would the ‘ scrapper’ take it? NO! Because it was broken inside – of course it was that’s why we changed it!
But they will take ‘cut’ cats with no problem – just saying!