Lorry hijack sees £50,000 reward

The lorry was hijacked on the M53 near Ellesmere Port

A £50,000 reward has been offered for information about a gang who hijacked a lorry at knifepoint and forced the driver to move cigarettes worth £1m.

The 46-year-old driver was tricked into stopping at junction 7 of the M53 near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire on Thursday.

He was made to drive to Birkenhead and swap his trailer for one full of cigarettes, before being made to drive to Lincolnshire where he was abandoned.

Police said the driver, who is from Lancashire, was left "distraught".

Cheshire Police officers are setting up a cab and trailer similar to the ones targeted, near to where the driver was stopped, in an attempt to jog drivers' memories.

This has had major effect on the driver Det Sgt Nigel Parr

Police said the driver, who works for a firm in Preston, was travelling from Deeside in North Wales on his way to Birkenhead Docks.

A Ford Galaxy, made to look like a Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) car, pulled in front of the lorry and lit up its fake sign, as if to signal to the driver to pull over.

The lorry stopped and four men forced the driver, threatening him with a knife, to drive to Birkenhead Docks.

Once there he was made to exchange his trailer for another containing cigarettes worth about £1 million.

The gang then followed the lorry to Hapsford Services near Chester, where the trailer was detached and put on their own trailer.

The driver was then forced to drive his cab to North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire.

Det Sgt Nigel Parr of Cheshire Police said: "This has had major effect on the driver.

"We are doing everything we can to bring the offenders to justice."