THIEVES forced their way into a lorry while it was parked overnight at a motorway service station before stealing a box of designer shirts.

The box of Jaegar shirts were stolen from an HGV, which was parked overnight at Durham Services, near Bowburn at junction 61 of the A1(M).

The incident happened overnight between Thursday, August 23 and Friday, August 24.

Police say thieves forced entry to the lorry and stole the shirts.

They have now issued a reminder to the public that handling stolen goods is not a victimless crime.

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “Handling or receiving stolen goods is not a victimless crime and individuals or businesses who trade in these items can have a long-term effect on communities and residents.

“To sell stolen goods, the thief must first steal the items.

This means, somewhere, there is a victim of burglary, robbery or theft - all of which cause great distress, anxiety and fear for those victims.

“Do you know someone who might be handling stolen goods? Have you been offered one of these shirts?”

Anyone who has information that could help officers investigating the crime should call 101.

Alternatively, people can anonymously pass information to the police by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.