Aluminium worth £60,000 is stolen

More than £60,000 worth of aluminium has been stolen from a factory on a County Durham industrial estate.

Raiders made off with 38 blocks of the metal, which was to be used to make wheels for a variety of vehicles.

The 3ft long blocks were taken from a factory compound on the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate on Sunday.

It is the latest in a string of metal thefts, which has seen rail lines and churches targeted by thieves thought to be shipping the material abroad.

A Durham Police spokesman said witnesses reported a 4x4 vehicle pulling an overloaded trailer in the area at about the time of the theft.