DALES residents helped the police to stop suspected quad bike thieves in their tracks.

A member of the public spotted a group of men trying to steal a quad bike from a property in Hawes on Wednesday night.

She shouted at them and they ran off and the witness gave police a description of the car they fled in.

Those details were circulated to officers in the area, as well as to Mobile Rural Watch volunteers.

And at about 11.35pm the same day, the volunteers spotted a vehicle matching its description in Wharfedale.

Police attended, and four men were arrested in connection with the attempted theft of the quad bike. The men, all from the Bradford area, remain in custody at this time, while the investigation continues.

The quad bike is being forensically examined a and the suspects' car was seized for being suspected of use in crime.

PCSO Bryan Tongue, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “I would urge anyone who owns a quad bike, particularly if they live in a rural or isolated area, to take extra steps to ensure their vehicles are always left safe and secure. It’s far better to spend some time and money now on high-quality security measures, rather than have to go through the inconvenience and upset of having your quad bike stolen.”