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Police have begun an operation to target thefts from lorries at service stations and lay-bys.

The West Mercia force said it would focus on sites in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire where hauliers were most susceptible to thefts during rest breaks.

Earlier this month, the force said it had dealt with 140 such offences this year.

Goods worth more than £1m had been taken from motorway services at Frankley, Strensham, Telford and Hopwood in the last three years, it added.

Ch Insp Jake Wright said: "We know most haulage thefts are connected to organised crime and the items they steal are likely sold on with the cash used to fuel further criminality."

The force also encouraged drivers to reduce the risk of thefts by parking in a secure area where they could see the vehicle if leaving it, and with loading doors close to another vehicle or wall to make it harder for criminals to gain access.

In the last month, a trailer full of cheese worth an estimated £50,000 was stolen from Strensham services on the M5, and another full of household goods was taken from the Hartlebury trading estate near Kidderminster.

Ch Insp Wright said: "We hope a police presence will give [drivers] reassurance that they will not be a victim of crime”.

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