NEARLY £50,000 of stolen items have been recovered following a police operation in the Durham Dales.

Twelve people were also arrested in Operation Voluble, a joint operation between Durham Constabulary's Road Policing Unit and police officers in Teesdale.

Over four weeks last month and this, police worked in and around Barnard Castle and the A66 using automatic number plate recognition technology to target suspect vehicles heading in and out of the county. A total of 400 cars, caravans, 4x4s, motorbikes, trailers and vehicles carrying heavy machinery were stopped and examined and £48,500 of stolen items recovered, including three caravans and five uninsured cars.

Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle police, said: "Teesdale remains a very safe place to live and work, but rural thefts remain a major concern.

"Local police officers have had tremendous support from their colleagues in the road policing unit during this initiative." The vehicles seized included a £3,500 horse trailer stolen from Morpeth in March, a Yamaha motorbike stolen from Bishop Auckland three years ago, a £2,500 trailer missing from Lancashire since 1998 and a £9,000 Harley Davidson motorbike stolen from the Northumbria area just a few days previously.

Last year, during the period covered by Operation Voluble, 28 rural thefts were recorded, compared with only ten offences this year.

Inspector Paul Roe, of the road policing unit, said: "The results speak for themselves.

"However, there were also benefits which cannot be easily measured, such as the public reassurance provided and the valuable intelligence we gained.

"The combined operations have seriously disrupted the activities of some prolific criminals working in the rural areas of the county.

"Similar police action is planned throughout the summer."