Rugby NHS worker gets up for another gruelling hospital shift to find her car has been stolen overnight

A Rugby NHS worker walked out of her New Bilton home on the morning of January 6 to drive to Leicester Hospital for another gruelling shift - only to find her car had been stolen.

The healthcare assistant, who asked not to be named, is now asking Rugbeians to keep an eye out for her blue Ford Fiesta, number plate: 'AN08 ASH'.

The car would have been stolen between the time she arrived home from work - 7pm on January 5 - and 8am the next morning.

"My reaction was sheer panic, I was just thinking 'where has my car gone?'" she said.

She quickly contacted the police, who told her a nearby resident had not long had their Ford Fiesta stolen too.

"I'd just like to warn people too, that the police believe whoever stole the car used a scanner.

"I've been told four Ford Fiestas have been stolen in the last two weeks, and it's because people leave their keys close enough to their front door or a window so thieves can use a scanner to make a copy and get into the cars.

"I just want to tell people to please make sure they keep their keys where they're out of range of scanners."

The car had some items of sentimental value alongside the healthcare assistant's NHS ID card, hospital parking pass and medical equipment - meaning thieves would be in no doubt they had stolen an NHS worker's vehicle.

She has now been left asking around family in an effort to borrow a vehicle so she can get to work until her insurance company resolves the matter.

"I'm just asking that if anyone sees the car, maybe it's been left in a layby somewhere, to ring the police," she said.