Stolen car returned to owner after shocking footage of dangerous driving 150 miles away sparks police investigation

An investigation was launched by Northumbria Police after footage captured by a motorist’s dash-cam showed a showed the white Ford Focus driving at high speed in a Houghton street while performing a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre.

Officers launched an investigation to locate the vehicle but soon discovered the car was using cloned number plates.

It was suspected the number plate had been cloned after a picture of the vehicle registered to the plate was posted on a car enthusiast Facebook page.

Officers were able to locate the car in the footage, which was taken on May 22, on Coalbank Road, in the Hetton area.

The car had been stolen from Glasgow in February and the vehicle has since been returned to its rightful owner.

PC Daryl Philips, who is responsible for reviewing dash-cam footage sent in to the force, has praised the motorist who sent in the footage which lead to the stolen car being returned to it’s rightful owner and has encouraged others to follow suit.

He says the case also highlights why motorists should not post their number plate on public groups

This case is also an important reminder as to why you should not share a picture of your car online where the number plate is visible,” said PC Phillips.

“A picture of the vehicle that was registered to these plates had been posting on a public Facebook group and we suspect that is where those responsible for stealing the vehicle got the plates from.

“Please be mindful that criminals may look to use this kind of information to commit crime. If you are going to share an image of your car, please consider hiding your registration.”

Nobody has been arrested as part of the investigation into the theft of the vehicle, or the incident of dangerous driving in Houghton on May 22, but enquiries continue.

Anyone who wants to report information to police, or who wants to submit dash-cam footage of another incident, can do so on the Northumbria Police website.

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