DETECTIVES are appealing for witnesses to an incident in which a man was allegedly dragged from his car in front of his terrified girlfriend.

A police spokesman said the victim was bundled into a van before being driven to a police station where an allegation was made against him concerning the theft of money from a pizza takeaway. The van driver was arrested.

The incident happened near the BP filling station on the A167 in Chester-le-Street - and involved the drivers of two vehicles, one a white coloured Ford van, the other a silver Citroen Saxo - at 1pm yesterday(Sunday).

Anyone who witnessed the incident on the A167 or saw the vehicles as they drove along the motorway is asked to contact the investigating officer, Det Con Alex Simms on 0845 6060 365; they can also ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.