A COUPLE were left bewildered when their Land Rover vanished overnight — the second such disappearance in Bolton in recent months.

Laura Ashton, aged 33, and her husband Phil, woke to discover their green Land Rover Defender had been stolen from their home in Wilkinson Road, Astley Bridge.

The car — reg no P213 TUD — was locked, there was no broken glass on the ground and both sets of keys were still inside the house.

The mystery theft, which took place between 4am and 7.30am on Thursday, November 28, follows a similar incident in Horwich.

Another Land Rover was taken from Sandringham Road, Horwich, overnight on October 17, with no trace of the car or how it was taken.

Mrs Ashton had to make alternative plans to get her four children, aged three to 12, to school that morning.

“There were some of our children’s stuff — prams, car-seats, pushchairs and that sort of thing — in the car and they have all been lost,” she said.

“Some photos of the kids, which are irreplaceable to us, have gone as well, so it is quite upsetting.

“We heard nothing at all. We were all asleep inside the house. The police just took down the details over the phone when they realised there was nothing for them to see if they came to the house.”

Mrs Ashton said a friend had come to the family’s aid by lending them a car and said her insurer is yet to process a claim for a permanent replacement.

“We have been here for quite a few years now and the area has always been pleasant to live in,” she added.

“None of the neighbours have ever complained of anything similar happen-ing to them, so we do feel very unlucky.

“We heard about the one stolen in Horwich and, given the car’s age, wondered if the incidents were connected.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We are investigating the theft. We were notified about the theft at about 7.45am on November 28.

“So far no arrests have been made and it is not known whether the theft is linked to the Horwich theft.”