Sixty vehicles were stopped - with two seized - in a cross-border operation to tackle rural crime.

Operation Checkpoint targeted vehicles in roads on the borderlands between counties in northern England an Scotland.

Cumbria police led the most recent phase of the clampdown, joining forces with officers in Cleveland, Durham, Lancashire Northumbria and North Yorkshire.

It saw police share intelligence to try and track down travelling criminals.

No arrests were made in Cumbria this time around.

But officers have revealed that searches were carried out on 60 vehicles, with two taken from their owners after they were found to have no insurance.

Inspector Jo Fawcett said: "By working together, Cumbria Constabulary and neighbouring forces improve our ability to stop offending by travelling criminals before the offences take place.

“We have an excellent relationship with neighbouring forces which is only enhanced through operations such as Checkpoint.

“Not only does the operation send out a clear message to criminals that the area is no soft touch, it also reassures the public of the resources being made to prevent such rural criminality.

“However, I would stress the point that it remains as important as ever that we continue to receive information about criminality and suspected criminality from the public.

"It is only with the help of the public that we can identify issues and make sure they are effectively and efficiently dealt with.”

Neighbouring forces made arrests of suspects for drug-driving, drink-driving and burglary.

Cumbria's crime commissioner, Peter McCall, said: "This is a great example of what can be achieved by working with our neighbouring forces.

“I wholly endorse the need to work across borders when tacklingtravelling criminals who need to know that they will not escape justice in our county.

"Operations such as this also offer great opportunities to share knowledge, experience and intelligence.”