A tracker device helped police to recover a stolen charity vehicle less than three hours after it was taken from a retail park.

The thief unlawfully helped himself to a moped, on loan from the charity Wheels 2 Work, at the Arnison Centre, Durham, last month.

Unknown to the thief, the SYM Orbit scooter was fitted with a stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) unit supplied by Tracker Network UK Ltd.

When activated it enabled the police to recover the support vehicle in less than three hours.

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The Wheels 2 Work scooter-loan service provides vital support to County Durham residents to help them maintain or access employment, apprenticeships or further education.

It assists those who would otherwise be in difficulties, either with no other mode of available transport, or faced with challenging public transport connections and out-of-hours work shift patterns.

The scooter is worth £2,500, and its loss would have had a significant impact on the charity’s funds, as well as its ability to help residents travel to and from work, training and interviews.

Once the theft was reported by its owners to police on April 17, Tracker Network was quickly notified and its SVR device activated.

A police control room in the neighbouring Northumbria force area used Tracker’s combination of VHF and GPS/GSM technology to locate the moped on the outskirts of Sunderland.

Officers attended the address and recovered the stolen moped from a back garden, only two hours and 37 minutes after the unit was activated.

Wheels 2 Work manager Liam Weatherill said: “We have 45 mopeds that we can lend to those who are otherwise unable to travel to work.

“Because of the cost-of-living crisis we are busier than ever and losing any one of these vehicles would have a significant impact on our ability to provide that invaluable support.

“Every one of our scooters is fitted with a tracker unit, including ten new ones we have just ordered.

“This incident, and the efficient recovery of our scooter, proves that is a worthwhile investment to protect our fleet and ensure we can continue to support our community.”

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Tracker’s SVR solutions are said to work like an electronic homing device.

A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle.

But, with no visible aerial, would-be thieves are unaware of the tracker's existence.

Tracker is said to be the only SVR provider supported nationwide by UK police forces, tracking, locating and recovering stolen assets using the special technology.

More than 2,000 police patrol cars and all police helicopters are fitted with detection units, which has led to the successful recovery of almost nine in ten stolen vehicles carrying the Tracker device.

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Clive Wain, who heads police liaison at Tracker, said, relating to the recent case: “We are waiting to hear if charges will be brought, but we are delighted that the vehicle has been returned to the charity so it can continue its vital work supporting the local community.

“It demonstrates the powerful combination of Tracker’s technology and its exclusive partnership with the police forces across the UK.”

He added that the success rate confirmed Tracker’s reputation as a successful security defence against determined thieves.