Katrin Cates Selby and her husband Nigel returned home to discover their distinctive orange, late-model Nissan X-Trail was gone from their Highfield Way drive.

CCTV footage at the property showed an unknown man stepped on to their driveway shortly before midnight on Saturday and, within about two minutes, drove off in the stolen car.

“He was holding a small bag and gets out something to unlock the car, then the car lights go on and he walks towards it, gets in a drives away,” Katrin said.

“It’s quite shocking they can do that in front of your house … there were people driving around and stuff, it’s not that late at night.”

None of the neighbours they spoke to heard or saw anything unusual and the couple have pleaded for anyone who did see something suspicious in the Highfield Way and The Walk area between 11.30pm and midnight on Saturday to contact police.

The CCTV cameras and signage had been installed after several burglaries at the house prior to the car theft, along with other security measures such as floodlights and double locks.

“The next thing will be to put up locked gates … we’re fed up,” Katrin said.

“We do everything the insurance company says to do and we took the information from police for the last break-in.

“I don’t know what else you can do but lock yourself in.”

The most recent burglary occured during a one-hour window in which they had left the house, while another break-in happened while they were asleep upstairs.

“It is nuts, it really is,” Katrin said.

Katrin is aware of several other burglaries in their street in the past few years, including two at a building site recently.

A police spokesperson said: “Between 3pm on February 16 and 12.40pm the following day an orange Nissan X-Trail was stolen from Highfield Way in Potters Bar.

“Enquiries are on-going and anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between the times stated is asked to contact Hertfordshire Constabulary online at www.herts.police.uk/Report or via 101, quoting crime reference 41/15692/19.”