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British holidaymakers driving in Spain are being targeted by highway thieves on a busy toll road.

The AA has warned motorists to be on their guard after more than 120 British drivers became victims of sneaky thefts on the AP-7 motorway near Barcelona.

Thieves have been flagging cars down and then distracting their occupants while one of the offenders steals their possessions.

Victims: Britons are being targeted while driving on the AP-7 motorway near Barcelona

Richard Hibbs, from North Wales, was robbed while he was visiting family near Barcelona, on Spain's north east coast.

He was driving along the AP-7 north of the Catalan capital at 80mph when another vehicle waved him down after creating a loud noise.

After he stopped to see what the problem was, one man engaged Mr Hibbs in 'animated' conversation in Spanish about his rear tyres while his accomplice sneaked out and emptied the glove box.

Distraction technique: The thieves are targeting lone drivers and stealing form their cars while they try to lend a hand to a 'broken down' vehicle

The tourist realised that something was amiss only when the man who was speaking to him 'broke off mid-sentence, ran back to his vehicle and dived through the rear window while it was moving at speed.'

'I think it's very important to have a raised level of awareness,' Mr Hibbs told ITV Daybreak.

'If I had been perhaps slightly more alert on the day and thought twice about what was happening, I might not have got out of the car.

'I don't think I would stop in similar circumstances on a Spanish motorway in future.'

Helping hand: Thieves are focusing on stretches of road between airports ad popular holiday resorts, pretending that their vehicle has broken down

Rosie Sanderson, of the AA's international division, said the thieves were focusing on stretches of the motorway going from airports to resorts.

She encouraged drivers planning to take to the road in Spain to 'do their research' and continue to the next safest place if someone tries to flag them down.

'If you travel at a slow speed, just make sure you've got people around you before you stop,' she said.

And she warned that another trick used by the thieves is to stop cars and stab a tyre before pretending to come to the rescue when it goes flat.