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Eleven men have been arrested as part of a police crackdown on gangs stealing from delivery lorries in Derbyshire and other parts of central England.

Several forces worked together to target suspected criminals who have been using the road networks to target lorry drivers.

The suspects were arrested in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and West Yorkshire on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft and driving offences.

Officers also found two HGVs believed to have been using cloned plates and a lorry understood to have been stolen.

Derbyshire Police said the investigation involved an increased presence from officers in "hot-spot areas" - such as lay-bys or car parks - particularly during the evenings.

Further vehicles were seized due to document, driving or traffic offences, according to the force.

It added officers in Derbyshire shared reports and information across borders to police forces in Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and West Yorkshire as part of the operation.

PC Johnathan Terry who helped coordinate the operation in Derbyshire, said: “We find that because of our location, we do tend to see a lot of lorries stopping overnight, and while most do so without any issues, we do see an increased risk of HGCs being targeted for that reason.”