A Coventry supermarket has been praised by police for its work in cutting crime in its car park.

Motorists using the petrol station at the Tesco store in Clifford Bridge Road, Walsgrave frequently drove off without paying.

Property was often taken from cars parked at the store, and the vehicles themselves were often stolen.

But a re-think by the site owners has prompted a huge reduction in the amount of crime.

The car park and building have now been nominated for a Secure By Design award by West Midlands Police. It is the only car park of its kind in the region to be given such an honour.

Following a refurbishment at the store, CCTV cameras have been installed and the drive-through area in the petrol station removed.

Since the changes were put in not one motorist has left without paying.

Crime Prevention and Architectural Liaison officer PC John Gisbourne said people living in the community had been consulted about the changes, and this had helped ensure the best improvements had been made.

PC Gisbourne said:

“The award is not easily attained and requires a partnership approach between everyone to achieve success.

“There are no other commercial sites of a similar nature in the West Midlands and the store’s security team worked hard to get to the required standard to be given the award.

“This has led to a dramatic reduction in crime at the site.

“The site will be monitored on a regular basis to ensure that the reduction in crime and the success continues.”

Tesco Security Director John Purnell said: