Man arrested on motorway while towing reindeer

A man towing a trailer containing two reindeer along a motorway has been arrested as part of an police operation which saw 11 wanted people taken into custody.

A "pre-Christmas push" saw a range of suspects seized in Harrogate, York and Northallerton, on suspicion of crimes including drugs, assault and domestic violence, North Yorkshire Police said.

The vehicle towing the reindeer was stopped on the A1(M) in Hambleton on Thursday.

Sgt Savannah Knighton, said: "Everyone we found yesterday has been taken into custody, except the reindeer, who were both transported home safely." 

A force spokesperson said some of the suspects were wanted in connection with active investigations and others were wanted by the courts after failing to attend legal proceedings.

They said a wanted woman was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer as she was being detained.

Sgt Knighton, said: "This was a pre-Christmas push to locate and detain a large number of wanted suspects, and teams across the force worked together with excellent results."