Newark officers make arrests after helicopter and drone search following theft from lorry on A46

Police launched a late night search with a helicopter and drone after a group reportedly stole cleaning products from a lorry in Newark.

Officers gave chase in the dark through a ditch, over an embankment and scaled a fence in an attempt to catch those responsible.

They were called just before 2.30am today (Thursday) by a lorry driver who was woken up by what he thought was people moving about in the back of his parked vehicle.

The driver had parked the lorry in a layby close to the lorry park on the A46 in Newark, and was woken up by a feeling the lorry was rocking.

Response officers were quickly on the scene, where they saw feet sticking out of the lorry. As they pulled up a group of males ran off and scaled a fence in an attempt to evade police.

Officers chased them along the railway line where they narrowly avoided injury after they were pelted with rocks. They caught up with the suspects, including one person who was hiding in a garden with no shoes on and ripped clothes.

Two 27-year-old men, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old boy, all from Sheffield and Chesterfield, have been arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle, theft of a lorry and trespassing on a railway line.

An officer who had stayed behind at the lorry park noticed a van with a smashed windscreen. Inside the vehicle, which is now believed to have been stolen from Sheffield using false number plates, there were boxes of shoe cleaning products from the lorry that was broken into.

The van was seized by police.

Neighbourhood Inspector Heather Sutton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a swift response from officers who were on the scene within minutes and faced an assault course of obstacles as they gave chase.

“Thanks to the combined efforts of officers on the ground, the helicopter crew and drone operators, we were able to make these arrests.

“Many businesses are struggling at the moment and no one should be out of pocket because of the selfish actions of an unscrupulous minority.

“Theft can have a crippling financial effect on people and businesses and we’re determined to do all we can to disrupt those who look to profit by it.”