A WOMAN was “flabbergasted” when thieves stole part of her car exhaust and left her Honda Jazz “sounding like the Grand Prix”.

Sue O’Malley, from Brighton, thought the vehicle was going to explode when she started it up last week.

The 62-year-old care team leader said: “I didn’t know what the heck was going on. It was like a hundred exhausts going off.

“I was shocked and really puzzled. There was no smoke – just a noise like the start of the Grand Prix.

“My engine light was flashing and on my way to get it repaired I thought the car was going to explode.”

Overnight, thieves had stolen the car’s catalytic converter, a box containing precious metals used to clean up exhaust fumes.

The criminals typically slide under a car and use power tools to cut the box from the surrounding pipes. They can sell the metals at high prices on the black market. One metal, palladium, is worth around £1,300 an ounce while rhodium sells for more than £7,000 an ounce.

Sue said: “I’m flabbergasted and frustrated. I couldn’t work and I missed a really important meeting. Me and my husband work hard for a living and we had to pay out a lot of money.”

Sue said staff at Elite garage in Preston Park told her it would cost £515.60 to replace the converter.

Mechanic James Hawell said: “This was the third one we’ve had in the last four months, and we’re just one garage in the city. The thieves are looking for rare metals in the converter like gold and platinum. They spend ten minutes under the car removing the thing.

“There’s no paper trail and they sell it on to people who buy used car parts.

“For car owners, it can be very expensive.”

Sue said: “You read more and more about crimes like this. I know there are many more cars in Brighton getting damaged and I want to warn people that this is going on across Sussex.

“I don’t know who’s doing this, but I know this kind of crime is rife.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police confirmed Sue’s blue Honda Jazz, which was parked outside her flat in Varndean Road, had its catalytic converter stolen.

He said: “Thieves removed the device from its exhaust system between 4pm on Monday, January 20, and 12.30pm the following day. Anyone who saw anything suspicious can contact Sussex Police online or by calling 101.”