Keyless car theft devices used by criminals sell for £20k online

She said the car, which she shares with her partner Tom, was stolen from outside their home in Wolverhampton while they slept.

"Although they didn't physically come into the house, you don't feel safe," she said.

Her doorbell camera captured footage of a gang using a gadget outside her property.

"They're walking back and forwards trying to find the signal. I didn't know that thing existed, I had no idea," she said.

"It took them two minutes in total to arrive, look at the car, get the signal and leave."

Abbie said police later found their car abandoned some distance away, but it is now unusable and has been immobilised due to the way the theft was carried out.

The crime is difficult for police to combat because the gadgets are being passed around the country by organised crime groups, said Neil Thomas, a car tracking expert who helps retrieve stolen vehicles.

"They'll just loan the devices out," he said.

"Criminals are paying huge sums, but they'll make those sums back. They're potentially stealing 10 cars a week. This is very much organised cross-border crime."

While keyless entry is a convenience for drivers returning to their cars with their hands full of shopping or carrying children, they become "a nightmare if your street is targeted by relay theft," said Jack Cousens from the AA.

"The days of smash and grab are diminishing. As vehicles become more technologically advanced, would-be thieves do their best to stay ahead of the game. That's why we've seen a rise in relay theft across the country," he said.

Under new laws in the Crime and Policing Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, it will be illegal to possess or share electronic devices used to steal cars and could lead to up to five years in prison.

Previously, police could only prosecute if they proved the equipment was used to commit a specific crime.