THIEVES that targeted the cars of two nurses working in Worcestershire Royal Hospital have been slammed by the NHS trust.

The car park at the hospital was targeted on both Saturday and Sunday night, with catalytic converters stolen from the cars of two nurses who were working 13-hour shifts.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “This was a thoughtless act impacting those that are working above and beyond to help those who are ill and it potentially impacts them being able to travel to and from work to look after people when we need them the most.”

A police investigation is now underway.

Commenting on the thefts, and other offences during the coronavirus restrictions, West Mercia Police's Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said: “We understand that the lockdown is challenging. However, people must respect the regulations, as that is the only way of making sure that we restrict the spread of the disease.

“However, the behaviour of an irresponsible few was dealt with by our officers, ranging from public gatherings breaking social distancing rules to the nurses affected by theft.

"Crimes such as the latter are awful at the best of times, but to target NHS staff in the current climate is truly abhorrent.

"An investigation is underway and we are doing all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice."

Ch Sp Harding added: “Most people are behaving respectfully and legally, showing real community spirit. However, where needed we can use enforcement, including the new coronavirus legislation if appropriate, to protect workers and the public, and we are clear that incidents such as spitting at others will be met with an incredibly robust response by police and we will arrest people and put them before the court.

"We are also able to target anyone who is out and about in our community seeking to cause harm, we have seen a number of proactive arrests showing that we can ensure that both the current rules are being complied with and that we continue to target other criminality."

He said people can report breaches of the lockdown rules at, using the ‘Tell us about’ button.