Transporter driver beaten and tied up in theft

The driver of a car transporter has been "beaten to a pulp" by hijackers who tied him up and stole a load of cars worth £180,000 near Brentwood, Essex.

In the early hours of 30 April, in a lay-by on the A127 near Childerditch, a gang of at least three men overpowered a 36-year-old HGV driver as he slept in the cab and tied him up.

The thieves drove the white Iveco car transporter, which was owned by Leicestershire-based MA Jordan, for an hour before unloading six Audi Q5 Quattro cars. The driver was forced to help and then tied up again. After that he was driven to High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where the gang fled; he called the police at 7.30am.

Tony Jordan, owner of MA Jordan, says: "The driver is still very poorly and shaken up as he was practically beaten to a pulp. We normally transport second-hand cars and this is the first time anything like this has happened."

Essex Police is appealing for information from anyone who might have seen the attack at the lay-by or the double-decker trailer during the two hours it was on the move to Buckinghamshire. Brentwood station can be contacted on 0300 333 4444.