THREE men abandoned £10,000 worth of stolen bikes after a chance encounter with two detectives.
Detective Constable Neil Jones and a colleague from Bishop Auckland police station surprised the men behind the Manor Hotel sports club in West Auckland, at 7.30pm last Thursday.
They ran off leaving behind a green Yamaha 350 quad machine and a bright red Honda XR400 motorcycle, registration number V973 DYB.
The quad had been stolen the night before from Walworth, near Darlington, and the motorcycle had been missing for two weeks.
Earlier on the Thursday, the men had been seen riding around West Auckland and in fields towards Toft Hill.
Det Con Jones said: "It was pure chance that we came across them. They ran off as soon as they saw us.
"We are sure there will be a lot of people who have seen them. They would have been very noisy machines and they would have attracted a lot of attention."
The quad had a large red plastic pellet spreader attached to the back.
Anyone who has information about the bikes should telephone Bishop Auckland CID on (01388) 603566.
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