Police stop boy, 11, driving a BMW and towing a 'suspected stolen caravan' on M1 - 'Struggle to comprehend!'

The caller claimed the caravan was being towed away by a black BMW, which was later found on the road.

The police force was able to track the BMW, which was using cloned registration plates, travelling south on the A1.

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Just 45 minutes after the caravan was reported stolen, the black BMW X5 was stopped on the M1 after it left the A1 at Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth.

North Yorkshire Police said officers were “staggered” by the discovery that an 11-year-old child was behind the steering wheel.

Taking to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, Sgt Paul Cording, a road traffic officer for North Yorkshire Police, spoke of his shock at the incident.

He wrote: “Even after over 23 years' service, you come across things that you struggle to comprehend.

“Like yesterday when some great fast track work from the team identified a recently stolen caravan being towed by a vehicle on false plates, but then to find the driver was only 11 years old.”

A search of the vehicle found equipment “typically used by suspects to carry out thefts” in addition to a handful of vehicle registration plates.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including theft, burglary, going equipped for theft, and motoring offences including dangerous driving.

He was questioned by the force and released on conditional police bail while further enquiries are carried out.

​North Yorkshire Police stated: “Thanks to the quick work of our skilled roads policing officers, our control room and intelligence team working in the background, the rightful owners have been updated that their caravan had been found.”

While the situation attracted a lot of police attention, no one was injured during the incident.

The police said they had seen an increase in the number of caravan thefts in North Yorkshire recently, with experts urging rivers to take measures to improve the security of their vehicles.

They advised: “Install CCTV in the place you park your motorhome, and consider fitting cameras inside the vehicle. Lock access to your garden, driveway or garage - and invest in a removable driveway/parking post too.

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“Get your vehicle - and any expensive property inside - security marked. Your local Neighbourhood Policing Team can help you with this. Just call us on 101.

“And while you're at it, remove any removable items from inside, particularly if they may be seen through windows.”