A “ruthless gang” keeps pinching catalytic converters from a Highbury man’s Toyota Prius, he says.

Graham Burns, 54, says he confronted two thieves jacking the converter from under his car in Offord Road last week, before they sped off into the night. It was the second time in as many months this has happened.

Barnsbury police told the Gazette it had only recorded two such crimes in Offord Road in the past six months, presumably both in relation to Graham’s car.

“There is obviously a ruthless gang doing this,” Graham told this paper. “They were scary.

“The car sped down the road, stopped, ripped the [converter] out quite violently, and then drove off with the hatchback up so you couldn’t see the number plate.

“They sell them for the metals but I don’t know how much they make off them, £100?

“But they’ve put us through a great inconvenience. We can’t use the car and it costs £1,000 to replace it.”