AN Evesham car dealership has narrowly avoided becoming the third showroom to have a vehicle taken by a "giant" thief responsible for stealing cars from two other garages.

The man, described as up to 6ft 6in tall and estimated to weigh about 24 stone, stole the keys to a BMW 320 Touring car from the Springfield Drive showroom in Evesham at around 5pm last Thursday. He did not get away with the vehicle.

Earlier the same day, the thief stole an Audi Quattro from a showroom in Worcester. That followed his theft the previous day of a Volkswagen from another Worcester dealership. The Volkswagen was later found, undamaged, in Bristol.

The walk-in thief has been described as weighing between 20 and 24 stone and said to be between 6ft 4in and 6ft 6in tall. He is thought to be in his late 20s and has either brown or blonde, short hair and a diamond earring in his left ear.

In the Evesham incident, he arrived in a Mercedes and was wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt.

He was shown two cars by a salesman but left after saying he was too large to fit them. The man was later spotted in a vehicle compound at the rear of the premises but then left.

After he had gone, staff realised the BMW Touring keys were missing.

Police have studied CCTV footage as part of their inquiries into the incident.

Anyone with information about the Evesham incident should ring 08457 444888, quoting 78C/021003.