Van recovered after being stolen by thieves to commit crime

A van has been recovered after it was stolen by thieves on Bideford Road in Rochdale, but not before being used to commit another crime.

The vehicle, belonging to AWR Bury, was stolen during the early hours of Thursday 4 April, before it was believed to have been used to steal the air machine from Tesco. The van was recovered in Heywood later that day.

A spokesperson for AWR Bury said: “We found our van, abandoned, trashed and smashed up in Heywood. Hopefully through CCTV and fingerprints, the culprits will be caught. It was used at Tesco and is now waiting in forensics.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “At around 8.10am on Thursday 4 April 2018, police were called to reports of a theft of a van on Bideford Road in Rochdale.

“Two hours earlier at 4am, police were also called to reports of suspicious men in a van on Gipsy Lane in Rochdale with significant damage to their vehicle.

“Enquiries into the full circumstances around this incident are ongoing.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 271 of 04/04/18.”