Thieves have targeted a string of luxury cars in an affluent west London neighbourhood in an unusual and worrying new crime.

Residents in three streets in Chelsea woke to found their vehicles had been raided by thieves who stole their wing mirrors.

The high-value cars hit by the thieves overnight included a BMW X3, a Porsche Macan, a Jaguar Fpace and a Mercedes C-class, according to The Chelsea Citizen.

The glass can be swiftly removed by prising it off its plastic fixing and cutting connecting wires.

The mirrors are understood to be attractive to criminals due to the technology they contain, including anti-fogging, heating and anti-glare.

The thefts, which happened at night on Sunday or the early hours of Monday, will cost their owners more than £40,000 in total, the newspaper reports.

One owner, whose BMW was hit, told The Citizen: “These thieves have spotted a new ruse and will be making a fortune.

“Sadly, Chelsea is the perfect area for these terrible gangs because our streets are absolutely full of expensive cars. How can you stop them?

“The mirrors can be taken in seconds and are worth a lot on the black market because they are jammed with electronic tech.

“I only had my new car delivered five days ago and then it was targeted. If I had stuck with my old 2014 BMW, I would have been fine because it just had a bit of glass in the wing mirror and nothing fancy.”

The Met Police said: "Inquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage."