A 28-year-old man from Bishop Auckland has been arrested after a livestock trailer worth £6,000 was recovered as part of a cross-border crackdown on rural crime.

Shortly before 1am on Thursday June 16 2022 police officers spotted a Land Rover Freelander that was towing a trailer on the A69 near Corbridge.

The driver admitting to being disqualified and having no documents.

Further enquiries led officers to suspect the Ifor Williams trailer had been stolen from Scotland, with it being registered to another vehicle across the border.

It was subsequently seized and the man was arrested.

Superintendent Andy Huddleston, rural crime lead for Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent piece of work by the PCs who saw something was not quite right and acted decisively.

“It transpired that the driver was disqualified and had no right to be driving that vehicle – and his account of where the livestock trailer came from and where he was heading also roused suspicion.

“Tackling rural crime is a priority for Northumbria Police and a significant amount of work is ongoing alongside our neighbouring forces and partners, as well as nationally, to support our communities who live in remote areas.

“A number of initiatives are already reaping rewards such as Farm Watch and Operation Checkpoint – and to add to that, we are working hard to help officers spot the signs of suspicious activity or behaviour that may be linked to rural crime.

“I would like to thank everybody involved in this job, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure our rural communities remain a safe place to live, work and visit.”

The man arrested has since been charged with driving whilst disqualified, having no insurance, failing to provide a specimen and having no test certificate. He is due to appear before magistrates in Newcastle on July 6.

Enquiries are ongoing alongside Police Scotland into the suspected trailer theft.