Bid to trace cigarette hijackers

The lorry was hijacked on the M53 near Ellesmere Port

Police investigating the hijacking of a lorry carrying £1m of cigarettes have released descriptions of the robbers.

A Lancashire lorry driver, who works for a Preston firm, was stopped by bogus officials on the M53 near Ellesmere Port on 7 August.

He was forced to drive to Birkenhead Docks, where his trailer was swapped for one containing the cigarettes.

The five suspects are white, in their late 30s or mid 40s, and have Northern Irish accents.

The lorry had collected a trailer from Deeside and was en route along the M53 to Birkenhead Docks.

The driver was near junction 7 of the M53 when a Ford Galaxy, made to look like a Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) car, pulled in front of him and lit up its fake sign, as if to signal to the driver to pull over.

'Driver distraught'

After he stopped, the 46-year-old was forced to drive to Birkenhead to pick up the cigarettes, then to Lincolnshire where he was abandoned.

Police said he was left "distraught" by the ordeal.

Two suspects were wearing red overalls and glasses.

Two other men, one armed with a knife, were wearing baseball caps, sunglasses and dark overalls.

A fifth man was wearing sunglasses, a white coat and a baseball cap.

All five are between 5ft 9in (1.75m) and 6ft (1.8m) tall.

Police want to trace a red cab with Irish plates and a trailer bearing the silver-coloured "Montgomery Transport" logo.

A £50,000 reward has been offered by Cheshire Police for anyone with vital information.