POLICE have seized a lorry stacked with what they believe was £150,000 worth of stolen metal near Northallerton after a quick-thinking motorist contacted the force.

Police say they found the vehicle parked up near Osmotherley and discovered the public was right to be suspicious.

The member of public called North Yorkshire police in the early hours of the morning last week to report the lorry, which raised their suspicion.

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The lorry was towing a trailer stacked with metal and had no numberplate, its lights had been tampered with and, according to police, the caller felt that things “were a bit odd.”

Members of the Roads Policing Group were dispatched to take a closer look and found that the 35- year-old driver of the lorry had been disqualified from driving and the lorry had no insurance and was using false registration plates.

A 28-year-old man in passenger seat was found to be in possession of cannabis.

The two men were arrested, interviewed and the lorry and trailer were seized, police say they have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Officers have since been making enquiries to find out if any thefts match the description of the trailer and they now believe it corresponds with a recent incident from the Cleveland area in which £150,000 of metal was stolen.

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“And all thanks to one call from a member of the public.

“Any information you report to us is incredibly valuable and we could not do our job without you.”

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