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The family of a brave woman who fought back when an opportunistic thief tried to snatch her car say they have been overwhelmed by public support.

Company boss Deborah Smythe battled with the thug for about two minutes after he jumped into the driver seat of her Audi Q3 as she unlocked a car park barrier at her firm in Oldham yesterday morning.

The man reversed at speed dragging Mrs Smythe along as she clung on to the door.

But she refused to give up - holding on to the steering wheel and struggling with the thief. Eventually the brazen lout gave up and ran away.

Bruised and battered Mrs Smythe staggered towards the main road as she tried to come to terms with what had happened.

Mrs Smythe is managing director of Greencare UK Ltd in Ripponden Road, Greenacres. Her family revealed that she was so desperate to stop her car from being taken because her passport was inside - as well as 700 Euros for a holiday in Tenerife later the same day.

Mrs Smythe, 52, from Oldham didn’t let the terrifying ordeal stop her from jetting off to the Canary Islands with her husband Steve.

Daughter Louise Fielding told the M.E.N. her mum landed safely and is now trying to relax in the sun and forget the harrowing incident.

The family are desperate to see the thug caught - and have thanked hundreds of well-wishers who have taken to social media sites to show their support for the plucky mum.

After the M.E.N. posted the footage from a nearby gym online, thousands viewed it and commented on Facebook and Twitter, paying tribue to Mrs Smythe’s bravery.

Louise, 24, said her mum is a ‘trouper’ and that she’s determined not to let the ordeal spoil her holiday.

She added: “I’ve told her to just put her phone down, forget about it and enjoy her holiday. She’s just so grateful to everywhere who has shown support. It’s been amazing. The number of people who have been in contact about it is unbelievable. She’s absolutely gobsmacked to be honest.

“I can’t get over it. The phone just hasn’t stopped ringing. I’ve had more than 500 people request to be my friend of Facebook after the video went up. I know a lot of people are very concerned about her. She’s a bit sore, but she’s okay. She’s just getting on with her holiday now.

“I broke into tears when I first saw the CCTV, it was awful. But the support people have shown has been great.”

The man is described as white, around 6ft 3in tall and stocky. He is described as being in his late 30s or early 40s and was wearing a black hat with flaps to the side, a plain black zipped jacket with a large collar and black trousers. He is described as having deep set eyes, a 'boxer' nose and blonde/ginger stubble.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses.

Detective Sergeant Mark McDowall said: "The whole incident was captured on CCTV and anyone who has seen it will agree how utterly shocking it is. The man had absolutely no regard for her as he reversed the car dragging her along. She is extremely lucky not to have been more severely hurt. Fortunately she is ok but has been left battered and bruised.

"We are in the process of reviewing all available CCTV footage to try and get a good image of the man. In the meantime we would ask if anyone was in the area and saw the man described on Ripponden Road around the time of the incident, or if you indeed saw what happened, please get in touch with police and tell us what you saw. It was very busy at that time and there would've been lots of commuters on Ripponden road, so I would urge them to get in touch."

Anyone with information about the identity of the thief can call police on 101 or Crimstoppers on 0800 555 111.