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A stolen car was as “dead as a doorknob” when its owner found it on Tomahawk Beach yesterday morning.

Judy Duffy said her son, Jacob Duffy, was getting ready to drive back to Christchurch for work when she got a call from the police at about 8am saying his car had been stolen overnight and found at the beach.

The car was one of six reported stolen in Dunedin overnight on Sunday.

Duffy said Jacob parked his car outside her Helensburgh Rd house at about 10.30pm.

She only realised the car was missing after she received a phone call from the police saying they had found it.

The incident was very disheartening, she said.

“It was very annoying and very inconvenient, especially since my son needed to go to Christchurch.

“I would’ve had to drive him up myself because he had to get to work.

“He’s only been at this new job about four months so you have to get there, don’t you?”

Jacob was able to borrow his brother’s girlfriend’s car as she did not need it for the next 10 days.

Duffy said it was a struggle to deal with insurance companies and she was disappointed in the people who had stolen her son’s car.

When she recovered the car it was “dead as a doorknob”.

“People have got nothing to do on a long weekend instead of go out and be naughty.

“It wasn’t even as if they took it to use it to go somewhere decent — they just were joyriding, weren’t they?

“They just don’t realise the inconvenience of all of it.”

A police spokeswoman said of the six cars reported stolen in Dunedin overnight Sunday, three had been located or recovered.

Inquiries were ongoing to locate the others, she said.