Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service in Teddington were out on patrol to hand out flyers that reminded car owners to be careful of thieves who are looking for catalytic converters.

A Spokesperson from MPS Teddington said: "PCSO Saini has been out today alerting residents to the dangers of catalytic converter theft.

Over the next month we'll be alerting any Toyota and Honda car owners we come across, of the vulnerabilities of they're vehicles and what they can do to protect they're property."

A car exhaust produces toxic emissions that are damaging to the environment if they’re released into the air, causing smog and acid rain.

Catalytic Converter's reduce carbon emissions because it helps to break down harmful pollutants like Hydrocarbons, Carbon monoxide and Nitrogen oxides before they are released from the car engine and into the air.

Moreover, officers believe that thieves are particularly interested in Toyota Prius and Honda Jazz models as the catalytic converters in both models are made from rhodium and palladium.

According to a report published by the BBC - rhodium and palladium are two metals that have become increasingly popular in other countries.

This in turn, has given criminals the incentive to steal the catalytic converters from cars because they believes that they will make a profit once the converter has been stolen and then sold.

Catalytic Converters are very expensive to replace because of the precious metals and its ability to break down the harmful pollutants found in are engines.

Please visit @MPSTeddington on Twitter for further information and for ways to protect your vehicle.