TEN people have been arrested following a spate of quad bike thefts in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Police say rural areas in Craven, Selby, Hambleton, Scarborough and Richmond were being hit last month.

A police spokesman said: "Our specialist teams have been running operations in key areas. 

"We believed suspects were travelling into North Yorkshire from other counties. So we upped patrols along our borders too.

"Among those arrested are a man from County Durham and several people from West Yorkshire.

"We’re still doing round-the-clock patrols and lots of crime prevention work to keep our rural communities safe. 

"And we’re still targeting those who travel to those communities to steal vehicles and other high-value items.

"So the number of arrests is likely to go up - but we wanted to share our update with the public.

"Help us make further progress by calling us on 101 if you see anyone acting suspiciously around buildings where vehicles are stored. It’s 999 if a crime’s in progress.

"And if you own a quad bike, consider extra security measures like a tracker or CCTV where you store it – both are excellent ways to protect it.

"Together we’ll cut rural crime."