Two men arrested after lorries were slashed open at Stafford M6 services

Officers from Staffordshire Police have arrested two men on suspicion of vehicle crime offences after they were spotted on CCTV slashing open the back of lorries at the M6 services in Stafford.

Police were called shortly before 11pm on Wednesday (April 16) to the southbound services at junction 14 following reports of suspicious activity.

Two men are seen damaging the lorries before making off across the carriageway. 

Officers deployed a dog unit to find the suspects along with a drone, as they were believed to be hiding in a nearby wooded area.

Thermal imaging showed one of the men to be concealed in undergrowth, while a police dog was able to locate the other suspect.

Two men, one aged 30 and one aged 20, both from West Yorkshire, were arrested on suspicion of interfering with a motor vehicle.

They have since been released on conditional bail while police inquiries continue.

Sergeant Adam Van de Sande, of our Road Crime Team, said: “These were significant arrests for us as part of our proactive work to disrupt criminal activity affecting a number of vehicles in the area.

“I would encourage anyone who saw anything suspicious at the services at the time to get in touch with us as soon as possible.

"Anyone with any information or relevant dashcam footage should contact us on 101 quoting incident number 717 of 16 April.

"To report anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."