Men in black use Merc on crime spree

Detectives believe the gang has stolen a Mercedes sports car and bank cards that were subsequently used in shops around Wolverhampton. Officers are now hoping to track down the men via CCTV images taken from cameras across Cannock.

Their crimes cover Wolverhampton, Cannock and Coventry.

Due to the widespread nature of the raids, police believe the gang has good local knowledge of the Black Country and Staffordshire.

Detectives today described their actions as "unusual" and urged anyone with information to get in touch.

The CCTV footage shows at least three men, all wearing dark clothing, baseball caps and gloves to disguise their identities.

The series of events began on July 23 when a house in Woodway Lane, Coventry, was raided overnight.

Burglars took a silver Mercedes C180 Coupe, registration plate LT52CPX. The car was then seen travelling north along the M6 at around 2.30am on July 24 heading towards the Black Country.

Four days later at 3.55pm, the car visited a petrol station in Millfields Road, Bilston, and the driver left without paying for fuel.

A week later on August 4, the same vehicle was used when a house was burgled in Oak Lane, Cannock.

A number of items were stolen, including bank debit cards that were then used in shops in the Fordhouses and Fallings Park areas of Wolverhampton.

Det Sgt Dave Roxburgh, from Coventry's Stoney Stanton Road police station, said today: "We have tracked these offenders across the region where they have committed a variety of offences. It is unusual for the same offenders to carry out crimes across such a wide area, which suggests a certain amount of local knowledge, and we urge anyone who recognises the men involved or may know the whereabouts of the car to call us."

Anyone with information can call West Midlands Police on 0845 113 5000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.