A SHOPPER who found her car was rattling noisily as she drove home from York on the A64 discovered that thieves had removed most of her wheel nuts.

Joanne Murphy could not believe her eyes when she found all but two of the bolts that held on each of her Ford Escort's alloy wheels had been taken off.

Mrs Murphy, 36, who was travelling with her husband, mother-in-law and a 19-month-old baby, said the reckless act could have resulted in tragedy.

She said: "Considering we had been doing speeds of up to 70mph in a car packed with three adults and a baby it's a wonder there wasn't an accident.

"We don't know if it was vandalism or not, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter either way - I'm just glad that we're all safe."

Mrs Murphy, of Garforth, near Leeds, said she parked her Ford Escort in Castle Mills car park, Piccadilly, York, for about four hours while on a birthday treat shopping trip.

No one in her group noticed there was anything wrong with the car until a rattling noise developed as they drove along the A64 dual carriageway.

Sergeant Colin Ventress, of York police, said the attempted theft had not been reported to the police. He said valuable alloy wheels were sometimes targeted by thieves.

Updated: 10:55 Wednesday, June 11, 2003