THIS is the moment three thieves walk away with a car boot full of a Newport family’s Christmas presents.

The CCTV footage from a private home shows the men stroll on to a driveway on Western Avenue and test the door of the black BMW, finding it unlocked.

They load up their arms with carrier bags and then are gone, getting away with the crime - so far.

Police are hoping someone who sees the video might recognise the three and get in touch. This crime was part of a spate of thefts from cars which all took place on the same night in the same area, which officers believe could be connected.

Overnight on December 18 there were 14 break-ins reported in Allt-yr-yn, with items stolen ranging from a laptops to prescription medicine and even a pram worth £1,000.

Gwent Police’s theory is that thieves walked down roads trying the handles of every car and hoping to get lucky.

Sergeant Adrian Davies said: “I’m convinced it’s the same team. They all happened overnight and in close proximity. It is a one off and I don’t want to alarm the public but I’ve never seen this before and I’ve been here since late May. It hasn’t happened since, but that’s not to say it won’t happen again.”

Most of the cars were broken into easily because they were unlocked, but thieves got into three of them using brute force.

He believes the thieves could have smashed windows using stones which they could drop by the side of the road if anyone approached them.

And even if people were found wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, it’s not suspicious to be wearing gloves in December.

Since the thefts officers have checked themselves for any unlocked cars and searched the registration numbers so they can knock on the owner’s door to warn them. “They will say, “If it wasn’t me, something could have been stolen from the car,” Sergeant Davies said. “That has more impact, we find.”

Officers have also checked second hand shops for the stolen gifts but say sometimes stolen goods are given in direct exchange for drugs.

To protect vehicles, Sergeant Davies advised people to double check they are locked and to remove all valuables from the car, even getting rid of visible clues that something might be inside such as a phone charger.

Anyone with information relating to this is asked to call 101 quoting log 239 24/12/14.