EAGLE-eyed volunteers with the Rural Watch scheme have helped trace a suspected drug driver.

 

At about 1.40am on Sunday, a vigilant watch member called North Yorkshire Police to report a suspicious Subaru on the A170, near the top of Sutton Bank. He said three men dressed in camouflage were inside the car, with a number of dogs.

Officers from the Roads Policing Group were able to locate the car within minutes, and stop it as it travelled towards Thirsk.

The driver, a 29-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, after testing positive for cocaine at the roadside.

He was taken to custody and has since been released under investigation, pending forensic results, and police enquiries are continuing.

Rural Watch groups are made up of farmers, landowners, gamekeepers, rural business and estate owners, as well as anyone who lives or works in a rural area. They support North Yorkshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Rural Taskforce, acting as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the police in the fight against countryside crime.

To find out more about Mobile Rural Watch, or to join a group, contact North Yorkshire Police and speak to your local Neighbourhood Policing Team or Rural Taskforce officer.