Two men remain on the loose after they stole a a digger from the A1(M) last night.
The digger, which was being used for ongoing roadworks, was taken from the central reservation at Junction 61 near Bowburn around 5pm by two men who were seen loading it onto a trailer and driving off.
The trailer was followed to the Darlington area and pursued by Durham Constabulary officers before it was dumped on the A66.
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The suspects made off but the stolen digger, along with a white transit van, was recovered.
It transpired that the van was also stolen last year and was operating on stolen plates with further stolen registration plates also recovered from the van.
Enquiries are ongoing to locate the suspects.
Durham Constabulary Sergeant, Chris Milburn, said: “These thieves were brazen in their theft from the site but thanks to information from the witness, our RPU officers were able to intercept the both the van and digger and get them recovered whilst also uncovering evidence of other potential crimes.
"Enquiries are ongoing to trace the suspects.”
If you have any information, contact us via live chat on the Durham Constabulary website or 101, quoting incident reference number 336 of February 1.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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