Two men from Leeds have been jailed after stealing £40,000 worth of tyres in Warrington and engaging in an HGV pursuit with police on the motorway.
The pair were eventually stopped near Bradford when the driver lost control of the HGV, which had been stung earlier on.
Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 6 March 2026, Dean Higgins, 35, of Winrose Avenue, Leeds, pleaded guilty to theft, driving whilst disqualified, and dangerous driving.
He was given a 27 month prison sentence.
Connor Barnett, 21, of Quarry Way, Leeds, has been jailed for 14 months after pleading guilty to theft.
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.”
At approximately 02:45 on 12 December 2025, a man who was sleeping in an HGV in Woolston, Warrington was woken by a loud banging coming from the vehicle’s rear trailer.
Upon investigation, he found two men unloading tyres from his lorry onto theirs, and immediately he contacted the police.
The perpetrators then fled the scene in their lorry, stealing around 500 tyres before making off.
Greater Manchester Police soon located the HGV – despite the vehicle’s false licence plates – as it entered GMP’s force area via the M62 from the M6.
Officers then began to tail the vehicle in a covert pursuit.
Once Higgins and Barnett entered the West Yorkshire area and refused to stop, an official pursuit began, with assistance from the National Police Air Service (NPAS).
Greater Manchester Police described how the HGV driven by Higgins weaved in and out of other vehicles with no regard for the safety of other road users.
They collided with a GMP traffic car, causing the latter to spin out and crash into the motorway’s central reservation, though thankfully the officer only sustained minor injuries.
The chase eventually concluded with Higgins losing control of the vehicle following an earlier police sting, and both Higgins and Barnett fleeing on foot across the opposite carriageway.
Both tyre thieves were quickly located due to the assistance of NPAS, specialist dog units within GMP, and officers from West Yorkshire Police.
Detective Inspector David Schofield, of 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.”
Photography Credit: Greater Manchester Police