Belfast suffers spate of 'frost-jacking' as six unattended cars stolen in 90 minutes

Car owners in Belfast were dealt an icy blow recently as six cars were stolen in a 90-minute period after owners left them to defrost unattended with the engines running.

When confronted with a snow-covered car, a motorist's natural reaction is to fire up the engine, crank the heaters up to 11 and retreat to the comfort of a warm house. But this behaviour has led to an increase in opportunistic theft dubbed "frost jacking"– where criminals scour icy roads in the morning, hunting for a running car with no owner.