Revealed: Eastern European gang 'tried to steal Joanna Lumley's car outside £2.5m townhouse and threatened her husband with iron bar' as they targeted three other vehicles in weekend crimewave

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER and EIRIAN JANE PROSSER, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 00:46, 7 April 2026 | Updated: 00:55, 7 April 2026 The street where an 'Eastern European gang' tried to steal Joanna Lumley's is rife with crime, say wealthy residents. The Absolutely Fabulous actress was woken in the middle of the night to the sound of a car alarm and the gang of men trying to drive off with her car. Joanna, 79, came out of her £2.5million townhouse wearing a dressing gown to see a group of men revving motorbikes while trying to break into the vehicle. One of the men was sitting in the driver's seat started to panic when the engine of the star's car failed to start and he shouted: 'I can't f***ing start it'. In the chaos, the gang allegedly threatened Ms Lumley's husband, the British composer Stephen Barlow, with an iron bar during the incident. As they couldn't start the car and with a group of well to do residents surrounding them, the gang fled, leaving the car largely unscathed with just some superficial damage to its boot. When the Daily Mail visited the area in Stockwell, south London, where houses sell for up to £3.25million, we were told the attempted theft of Ms Lumley's car was just the latest incident to blight the lives of those living there. They said in March three break-ins took place in just two days. Joanna Lumley confronted the gang in her dressing gown, while her husband, Stephen Barlow, was threatened with an iron bar Ms Lumley was able to keep her car after the gang were unable to get the engine started Meanwhile, neighbours on the road said a Rolls-Royce was broken into 'a month or two ago' as thieves attempted to dig around for items left on the backseat. Another resident said mobile phones are frequently snatched by thugs on mopeds. ​One neighbour of Ms Lumley's claimed that over the years they have been mugged while holding a newborn baby. Another said they had been held at knife point when refusing to hand over a bicycle. Even the local convent has not been immune to crime, they said, with drunken partygoers stealing their nativity scene and Christmas lights on New Year's Eve. One resident said: 'All of these incidents are happening at nightfall, the moment it gets darker. 'We've been asking for CCTV for years and nothing has happened. It seems like neither the police nor the council will do anything about it. 'Three houses were broken in to in two days last month and we believe it's the same people coming back. 'On this occasion Joanna's husband heard the alarm go off. He came out, and then they threatened him with an iron bar. They threatened him with a big piece of metal.'  Another of Ms Lumley's neighbours added: 'It does happen a lot. There was a time a while back when somebody slashed all the tyres of the kind of bigger cars, the 4x4, you know, thinking, posh people. 'I saw the silver Mercedes van, which had its door left open last week. They'd obviously tried to get in and run off. 'Joanna has a few cars with her husband, but I don't know which one they tried to break into. 'I did hear the motorbikes, they were really revving, and I thought they were just chasing each other round and round the square, that it was kids being idiots.' ​One woman who has lived in the neighbourhood for four decades added: 'It is the same old, same old. I've lived here 40 years, and it is the same as it has always been. It is south London, so what do you expect? ​'You do have more crime with people on bikes snatching phones, but the police are powerless to do anything. I've had numerous cars broken into over the years, I've had windows smashed for no apparent reason, and mindless vandalism. 'It goes on, but until you have a police force that is supported by the Government and the community rather than being the pariahs, it's how it is now.' The Metropolitan Police said they are investigating a series of car thefts in Lambeth. A spokesperson for the force said: 'Tackling car theft and other neighbourhood crime remains a priority for the Met. 'We have strengthened neighbourhood policing, with more officers focused on identifying and targeting the most prolific offenders who cause the greatest harm to communities. 'Across London, vehicle crime, including theft and damage to vehicles, is down by almost 15 per cent compared with this time last year.'​ Ms Lumley declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail yesterday for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. 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