Thieves lift tyres worth £16,000 from lorry while driver sleeps

Police in North Yorkshire are investigating the theft of a truckload of tyres in a lay-by on the A1. According to Selby Police, up to 100 Pirelli tyres – with a total value of more than £16,000 – were removed from a Slovakian registered lorry early on the morning of Tuesday June 14. Police officers conducting routine patrols of truck stops in the area at around 1.45am on Tuesday June 14 discovered the theft from the lorry, which was parked in a lay-by on the A1 southbound carriageway in Kirk Smeaton at the junction with Middlefield Lane.

The officers noticed a large section of curtain had been cut out of the side of the vehicle, and taking the number of tyres stolen into account it is believed a large vehicle must have pulled up alongside the Slovakian HGV to carry out the theft. The driver was sleeping in the cab when the tyres were stolen. “The driver of the lorry believes that he heard something around 20 minutes before we discovered the theft, however the tyres could have been taken any time overnight,” commented PC David Clark of Selby Police. “The thieves must have taken sometime to remove the load and there must have been at least two people involved. As well as stealing the tyres, they also made an unsuccessful attempt to enter the diesel tank.”

According to Selby Police, the Pirelli tyres stolen from the lay-by are 17-inch passenger car and 19-inch 4×4 sizes; further fitment details were not given. PC Clark urges anybody who has recently been offered tyres matching this description for sale to contact him on 0845 60 60 24 7, quoting reference number 12110097321.