POLICE hunting quad bikes thieves who targeted two dales farms found an injured man hiding in gorse bushes.

The 27-year-old suspect was arrested near Stanhope in the early hours of Sunday. He was bailed straight afterwards so that he could be taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital for treatment to an injured foot.

He had been tracked down by heat seeking equipment on Durham Constabulary's spotter plane and traced to bushes near the old Weardale Railway line,west of Stanhope. Aban-doned 100 yards away was a £4,000 Kawasaki quad, which had been stolen from a farm at Westgate around 4pm on Sunday.

The thieves had driven off over fields to the railway which runs from Eastgate to Bishop Auckland.

Soon after midnight a farmer near Eastgate gave chase after raiders broke into outbuildings and drove off on two other quads. At least two men were seen running off and both bikes were recovered.

Sgt Kieran Reed appealed for help from people in the area at the time.

He said: "We want to hear from anyone on the roads in Weardale who saw anything suspicious late on Sunday night or early in the morning.

"There might have been a taxi driver who was called to pick up a fare, or someone who spotted a suspicious vehicle on the road."

Anyone with information should contact Crook CID on (01388) 762011 or call at any police station.