A cabbie believes she fell victim to the same gang reported to be targeting Huddersfield taxi drivers for their takings.

Lynn Park had £120 cash takings stolen from her Ford Mondeo after a thief smashed the driver’s window while the car was parked in Sheepridge last month.

A man who witnessed the incident told her the male thief fled in a Vauxhall Meriva which was driven by a woman.

Lynn, who works for Huddersfield Taxis, believes that the same people also stole takings from her colleague Majid Niaz’s car in Birkby on Tuesday.

Damage to Lynn Park's Mondeo private hire car after a thief stole her cash takings

Dash-cam footage from Majid’s VW Passat appears to show a Vauxhall Meriva leaving the scene after a man smashed a window and took his takings.

Lynn said: “I parked in Marlington Drive at Sheepridge and was away for five minutes.

“The driver’s window was smashed and takings stolen. A member of the public saw a guy running away and phoned police. He told me it was the same car in the dash-cam video, a 55-plate Vauxhall Meriva.”

Lynn is warning other drivers not to leave cash and other items in their cars.

Suspect caught on dashcam reaching for a tool

“This thief went for the money bag - he knows what he’s doing. He left my phone and other items. The man who chased him said a woman was driving the car.”

She said cab drivers were an ‘easy target’ and urged police to act to catch the thief.

“I think police are treating this as a petty crime. But we work 12-hour days and these people think they can just take our money away.”

She believes the theft happened at around 3pm on Wednesday May 9. The area was said to be busy with parents doing the school run.

Suspect running away from the scene of the break in

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Police received a report of a theft from a car in Sheepridge, in Huddersfield.

“The incident happened on the 9 May on Marlington Drive.

“A suspect forced entry into a black Ford Mondeo which was parked on the street – items were removed from the car and the suspect fled the scene.”

On Thursday Majid Niaz said he feared a gang is targeting cabbies for their takings. He and several other colleagues had been targeted in recent weeks in Birkby, he added.

“Other taxi drivers in Birkby have had break-ins on their cars in the last two weeks. I think there have been about five incidents.”

He said the other incidents of theft had happened on Halifax Old Road, Yew Street and Cobcroft Road, although he said colleagues hadn’t reported them to police.