An 11-year-old boy was found by police behind the wheel of a BMW towing a suspected stolen caravan on the M1.
North Yorkshire Police said the youngster had been arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft and motoring offences, including dangerous driving.
Police were called at around 3.30pm on Thursday to reports of a caravan being stolen from a holiday park near Thirsk and being towed away by a black BMW.
Officers said they were able to track the BMW, which was also allegedly using cloned registration plates, travelling south on the A1.
“Forty-five minutes after the caravan was reported stolen, we stopped the vehicle on the M1 after it left the A1 at Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth,” said the force in a statement.
“But nothing prepared us for finding the schoolboy sat at the wheel.
“A search of the car also revealed equipment typically used by suspects to carry out thefts and a selection of vehicle registration plates.”
The boy was questioned and has been released on conditional police bail to allow further enquiries to be carried out.
Nobody was injured during the incident, said police, adding that the caravan’s “rightful owners” have been informed that it has been found.
