A pensioner from Warwickshire has been left with a bill from her motor insurance company after thieves broke into her car and destroyed it during a high-speed joyride.
62-year-old Valerie O'Brien was heartbroken when she woke up to find yobs had stolen her Rover Metro from outside her home near Rugby. It was later discovered damaged beyond repair but she was stunned to receive a bill for £119 from a recovery service, even though the car was now destined for a scrapyard.
Contacting her car insurance provider, Mrs O'Brien was told that a clause in her motor insurance policy meant that she had to foot the bill herself, despite the fact that she would never see the car again.
She told reporters, "I just cannot believe I had to pay for the privilege of having my own car stolen. I never asked for it to be taken away and I cannot understand why I have been charged for it.
"I just want others to be aware and check their insurance."
A spokesperson from CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, the women's car insurance experts, commented, "In some cases, if the motor insurance is only third party and not third party fire and theft, the owner may be liable to pay for the cost of recovery."