A THIRTY eight year old woman from Bowdon had the fright of her life when she was dragged from her car at the Trafford Centre.

The terrified shopper had just finished shopping at the complex when she returned to her car at around 6.30pm.

She told SAM: "I was checking the wing mirrors before reversing out when I saw the man who was wearing a balaclava. I began to panic and tried to lock the door but the man had reached the car before I had chance and he opened the door and told me - in a string of expletives - to get out of the vehicle."

The woman, who asked SAM not to reveal her identity, says that she was scared at the time and didn't know what the culprit might do.

She went on: "He couldn't start the car straight away but eventually made off - leaving me stranded without my belongings, including house keys and other personal papers."

The woman was helped by another female driver who let her use her mobile 'phone to call police and security staff.

She says: "The staff at the centre were good - but I could not understand why the CCTV cameras had not managed to record the incident so as to help the police track the villain. I have shopped at the centre many times and have always felt safe but this incident has shaken me up a great deal."

A spokesman for the Centre told SAM: "We have a total of 350 cameras around the centre, which is more than the Channel Tunnel, and at any one time we can record footage from any of these cameras.

"In this instance though the incident lasted for seconds and by the time we were alerted to the theft the culprit had driven away."

Police think that the culprit may have been specifically looking for the £15,000 valued R-registered car and are appealing for witnesses. Call police on 856-7666.

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