Two men who loaded £40,000 worth of stolen tyres from a lorry as the driver slept have been jailed after a police pursuit which crossed parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that at around 2.45am on 12 December 2025, a driver who was asleep in his HGV in Warrington was woken by loud banging coming from the rear trailer.
He discovered that tyres from his trailer were being unloaded and placed onto another truck - with around 500 in total being taken.
As the HGV loaded with the stolen tyres fled the scene the driver called the police.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police joined Cheshire police on the M62 in a covert pursuit of the lorry, which was displaying false plates.
Once the lorry entered the West Yorkshire area, it failed to stop and a pursuit began, with officers aided by colleagues in the National Police Air Service.
The court heard how the lorry weaved in and out of traffic between lanes, putting other road users at significant risk of harm with the driver operating the vehicle in a dangerous manner to avoid police.
During the pursuit, the lorry collided with a GMP traffic car, causing it to spin out and crash into the central reservation, which fortunately only resulted in minor injuries to the polce officer in the vehicle.
The pursuit came to an end after the driver lost control of the lorry, which had been stung earlier in the pursuit.
As the truck ground to a halt near Bradford, West Yorkshire, the two men fled the vehicle, making off across the opposite carriageway, and were pursued and caught with the help of Greater Manchester Police’s specialist dog units and officers from West Yorkshire Police.
Dean Higgins,of Winrose Avenue, Leeds, was sentenced to 27 months after pleading guilty to theft, driving whilst disqualified, and dangerous driving.
Connor Barnett of Quarry Way, Leeds, was sentenced to 14 months after pleading guilty to theft.
The pair received their sentences at Liverpool Crown Court on 6 March.
PC Philip Raymond, from GMP’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a highly challenging and dangerous pursuit which involved colleagues from three different police forces.
“The pair stole thousands of pounds worth of tyres and showed recklessness as they fled, including spinning out a GMP officer - we are fortunate there were not more serious consequences for their actions.
“The work of Cheshire, GMP, and West Yorkshire has meant that the pair are now rightly behind bars for their crimes, and is testament to the commitment and dedication of all police forces.”
Detective Inspector David Schofield, from Cheshire Police, said: “This is another fine example of forces working together to catch criminals and put them before the courts. They certainly got more than they bargained for when they came to Cheshire to steal and thought they could simply get away with it.
“I hope this sends a message loud and clear that we are tireless in our efforts to stop cross-county criminals in their tracks and get justice for victims.”
