Stolen cars found in shipping containers at port

Police said they stopped six stolen cars from being exported out of the UK by criminals.

The Toyota and Lexus vehicles were spotted by officers being driven on both the M25 and A13 to a port in Essex earlier this month.

Essex Police said a container hiding the three Lexus cars was plucked from a stack of about 2,000 ready to be shipped.

"Vehicle crime is increasingly becoming more sophisticated and involves organised groups targeting cars to be sent abroad to realise cash," said Insp Emma Patterson.

The force discovered a so-called chop shop at a storage yard in Wickford as recently as January.

They found a BMW and a van that had been stripped for their parts, to be sold illegally.

Figures from Essex Police showed there were 985 fewer vehicle crimes in the year to November, compared with the 12 previous months.

The force said its stolen vehicle intelligence unit had recovered or identified £13.5m worth of stolen vehicles or parts as a result of 847 jobs.