Figures from the DVLA revealed that a Swindon postcode was the third worst area in the UK for car thefts, but Wiltshire Police say their records don't match-up.

The DVLA figures, released following a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request suggested that the SN5 area of Swindon was rife with car theft, with the driving agency noting 268 instances.

This placed Swindon behind Leicester's LE2 and Slough's SL1 who had a reported 342 and 285 instances between January 1 and December, 2020, respectively

The FOI request also revealed that the most stolen car in the Swindon area was the Range Rover Evoque or Land Rover Discovery

But, Wiltshire Police have queried the figures that were initially reported by the Mirror as their own records paint a very different picture.

The force has said that their own crime date on car thefts in the SN5 area fall way below the suggested 268, with 55 vehicles reported stolen.

They add that the figure that places Swindon third in the rankings is more than all of the vehicle thefts reported to them in the whole Swindon area last year, not just SN5.

Chief Inspector for Swindon, Nick Mawson said: “We are unable to reconcile the figures quoted in the Daily Mirror article with our own crime data relating to vehicle theft.

In 2020, a total of 55 vehicles were reported as stolen in SN5 yet the figure quoted is more than all vehicle thefts across the whole Swindon Community Policing Team area in the year.”

“The suggestion that 268 vehicles were stolen from just one Post Code district in 2020 would have been exceptionally noticeable at a much earlier stage than a now.

Whereas it is often the higher value vehicles targeted, the theft of any vehicle can not only leave the owners feeling vulnerable, but it can also hugely impact on their livelihoods and family life.”

“Officers continue to conduct proactive patrols to act as a deterrent in areas where criminals could potentially be operating.”

The DVLA have since clarified to The Adver where they got the figures for their response to the Freedom of Information request and it explains where the confusion might be.

A spokesperson for the DVLA said: "I can confirm that the figures quoted are as provided under FOI.

"The information we provided under FOI related to the postcode district the keeper of the vehicle lives in and not the postcode district where the vehicle was stolen.