Stolen trailer reunited with owner

A stolen trailer has been reunited with its owner.

Officers spotted a suspicious looking van towing a trailer passing in the opposite direction while on patrol in the Eppleby area just before Christmas.

Officers attempted to follow the vehicle but the driver failed to stop.

The van careered across a verge at speed and continued into a farmer’s field before the vehicle and trailer were ditched.

A police spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the driver did a disappearing act and despite us getting the helicopter out to look for him he wasn’t located. We think he might have been picked up from the area by another dodgy character.

“It soon became clear that the reason the driver failed to stop was because the van had been stolen from the Bishop Auckland area of Durham and was displaying false plates.

“At the time the trailer was also suspected as being stolen, so both the van and the trailer were recovered by the police.

“After carrying out extensive enquiries, and with the assistance of a stolen vehicle examiner, it was identified that the trailer had been stolen from a farm in the Tebay area of Cumbria only a couple of hours earlier.”
Police say the rightful owner has now been identified and is said to be “over the moon” that his trailer has been located and is being returned to him.