More than 40 cars taken from Melbourne car yard in broad daylight

More than 40 cars have been stolen from a car yard in the space of just hours, police say, with some spotted being taken in broad daylight.

A group of people have managed to break into a car yard in broad daylight and steal up to 45 vehicles, police allege.

The new and unregistered cars were allegedly stolen from a business in Melbourne over the space of 15 hours, with three already recovered from nearby streets.

Images released by police show cars being driven out of the yard in broad daylight. The vehicles being taken - without number plates - include SUVs and a Mercedes work van.

The alleged theft happened between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, police say. Picture: Victoria Police

In the vision, thieves appear to take a Skoda station wagon, which had either a wrapping of blue plastic around the bottom half, or a very distinctive half-white-half-blue paint job.

The alleged bandits appear to have rolled up to the yard, on Salmon Street in Port Melbourne, in a dark coloured Toyota 4WD with a camping bed on the roof racks.

There are hundreds of vehicles in the yard, the images show.

“It’s believed unknown offenders have forced entry to the car yard and have stolen up to 45 brand new unregistered vehicles,” police say in a statement.

Police allege the theft occurred between 3pm Sunday October 20, and 6.30am October 21.

A 42-year-old Prahran woman was arrested in the northern suburbs on Monday afternoon. She is being interviewed.

Originally published as More than 40 cars taken from Melbourne car yard in broad daylight