A heartbroken 15-year-old German boy stole his parents' car to drive 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from Austria to northern Germany in a bid to make up with his girlfriend.

The boy, who was on holiday in Austria with his family, had an argument with his girlfriend in Flensburg near the Danish border while chatting on a social network.

He took the brand new family car in the night of Tuesday to Wednesday and drove straight to Flensburg where he stopped at a friend's house.

Police, who had been alerted by the family, sought in vain to intercept the car along the motorway but only caught up with the youth once he had reached his destination.

The youth is to be charged with driving without a licence, police said.

The minimum age from driving in Germany is 17, with a full licence available only to those 18 and over.