Amazing team work sees stolen off-road vehicles recovered

Two all-terrain vehicles have been returned to their rightful owners, after thieves failed to get away with them.

On Monday 11 March, we received two separate reports that a Kawasaki quad and a Polaris off-road vehicle had been stolen from the Leyburn area of North Yorkshire and the Kirby Stephen area of Cumbria.

The thefts were circulated on social media. Later the same day, one of our Rural Watch volunteers contacted us to say their CCTV system had spotted the stolen vehicles driving away.

Our enquiries were well underway when more Rural Watch volunteers headed towards the area where the vehicles had been seen. Both vehicles were located in woodland away from the road, near Barden.

Inspector Mark Earnshaw, of North Yorkshire Police's Rural Task Force, said: "It was a fantastic effort from the Rural Watch volunteers to find the stolen vehicles, which have been returned to their rightful owners. This is another great example of the community working with the Rural Task Force to protect their local area."

Thanks to the Rural Watch information, enquiries are ongoing to identify the offenders. Anyone with more information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12240044633.

Owners of quad bikes, particularly in rural areas, are urged to check the security of their vehicles - and in particular, fit tracking devices to help locate them and bring offenders to justice.