As the nation prepares to turn back clocks, and turn up the heating, Tracker is urging motorists to be extra security conscious after its figures showed that stolen vehicle recoveries increase by 20%.

"Our figures confirm that the winter's extra hours of darkness allow more time for thieves to break into vehicles unseen, with November, January and February being the worst months," explained Stuart Chapman, Tracker police relationships manager.

"In 2010, 84% of all the stolen cars recovered by Tracker were taken using the owner's keys and this danger increases during the winter.

“Added to this, on frosty mornings many people leave their car unattended with the engine on to defrost the windscreen, making their cars a prime target for thieves. We urge motorists to keep their keys safe at all times and think twice to avoid ‘frost jackers'."