The owner of a “stolen” caravan has praised police for their “quick thinking” in tracking down the vehicle which was dragged off the M1 motorway.

Janine Forth said she arrived at the caravan park near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, on Thursday afternoon “when they had the car hooked up and ready to drive off”.

North Yorkshire Police were told the caravan was stolen and was being pulled by a black BMW.

They tracked the limousine, which had cloned number plates, traveling south on the A1.

About 45 minutes after the caravan was reported stolen, the vehicle was stopped on the M1 after leaving the A1 near Garforth.

Police said they were “shocked” when they discovered an 11-year-old boy sitting in the driver’s seat of the BMW.

Ms Foss wrote on Facebook: “If it hadn’t been for the quick and amazing response from the police, God knows what would have happened!”

When police searched the car, they found “devices commonly used by suspects to commit burglaries” and several vehicle license plates.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of driving offenses including theft, burglary, equipment theft and dangerous driving.

He was questioned and then released on conditional police bail to allow further police investigation into the case.

Read more from Sky News:
Two teenagers jailed for fatal machete attack
Police officer accused of killing Chris Kaba named
British IRA spies caused ‘more lives lost than saved’

No one was injured and caravan owners were informed that their vehicle had been found.

Police say there has been a recent increase in caravan thefts in the area.

It advises caravan owners to take steps to deter thieves, such as installing CCTV, installing alarms and tracking devices, and taking high-quality photos of the vehicle to help identify it if it is stolen.