A prolific car thief who washed and valeted cars before abandoning them has died in a road accident.
Colin Sadd, 44, from Sheffield, was apparently stealing a car from a garage at Much Hoole, near Preston, in Lancashire when he was end.
He was posing as a customer at Direct Car Sales when he stole the keys and drove off on to the A59, into the path of another vehicle.
Sadd was wanted by police after absconding from prison last year.
A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: "He was talking to the sales staff and when they were distracted he stole the keys to one of the cars and started to start a Vauxhall Astra.
Clean and polish
"One of the sales staff saw him and started to run towards the vehicle.
"The man accelerated out on to the A59, directly into the path of a light goods vehicle.
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"The man was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wanted by Cleveland Police for absconding from prison in December."
Sadd was jailed for six years in Sheffield in 2004. He admitted stealing two cars and asked for 31 similar offences to be taken into account.
The court heard the contract cleaner had 155 previous convictions and suffered from a compulsive disorder which led him to clean and polish the cars he took before leaving them spotless by the side of the road.
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