Nottinghamshire Police's road crime team send strong message with arrests in rural crime battle after stolen car stopped on A1 near Worksop

An ongoing police operation to tackle fuel thefts and disrupt rural criminals has once again proven successful.

The road crime team from Newark and Worksop were carrying out patrols yesterday as part of a crack down on fuel thefts on the A1 when they spotted a reported stolen car near Blyth services, in Worksop just before 6pm.

Police detained and arrested two men aged a 19 and 23 on suspicion of burglary and theft of the vehicle, which was stolen in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Detective Inspector Paul Lefford, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thanks to the work of the road crime team and neighbourhood officers and their constant vigilance we have made two arrests.

“I hope this sends a strong message to those people who cross the border into Nottinghamshire and believe they can commit crimes ⁠— that we are aware, we’re out there and will work with our colleagues across the border to stamp out rural crime.

“We have been seeing an increase in fuel thefts on the A1 corridor and recurring operations like this are so important in cracking down on criminals who believe they can carry on committing crimes and causing misery for members of the public.

“I want to make it clear to our rural communities this activity is not a one-time thing, we are regularly carrying out operations to combat rural crime issues and will continue to do so.

“This is still an ongoing investigation and we are working with our colleagues over in South Yorkshire as our inquiries continue.”

Anyone with any information about fuel theft in Nottinghamshire is urged to report it by calling 101.